


Just Fine 2: What Is Family?

by fireworksinthenight



Series: Just Fine [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-25 13:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 60,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16198244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireworksinthenight/pseuds/fireworksinthenight
Summary: Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo have been raised in New York City by Master Splinter. Three months ago, they have learned that they used to have a fourth brother, Leonardo, lost in a flood when they were mere infants. What they don't know is that their brother isn't dead. He has grown up in Japan and his path is now leading him back to New York... AU. Sequel to Just Fine.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> _I've finally given in and decided to make a sequel to my story_ Just Fine _. This is so going to take a huuuuge amount of my free time, but these turtles are begging to be written and I'm unable to resist them. So, welcome to this new story!_
> 
>  _You don't need to read_ Just Fine _to understand – and hopefully enjoy – this fic, although it would give you a better background._
> 
>  
> 
> _Warning: It's an alternate universe, inspired by the 2012 turtles. I allow myself to diverge from canon as I see fit._
> 
>  
> 
> _I do not own the turtles._

Leonardo was looking at his cellphone with melancholy. Three months that Karai had left Tokyo for New York City and all he had got from her were few and far between texts. He had tried to call her, but he never made it past her voice mailbox. Leonardo knew her message by heart now, along with the singing and slightly threatening tone Karai had recorded it with.

'I'm busy getting bored somewhere. Leave a message or call back later. In any case, make sure it's worth it.'

The first times, he had left messages. Cheerful, light messages. He didn't want her to know how much he missed her. _She would probably laugh at me_ , he thought. She was never one for big declarations of friendship. But Karai never called back, and Leonardo had stopped doing it.

Still, he was her friend. Leonardo had no doubt about it. _Her only friend, in fact. I'd bet my life on it._

That was why the turtle didn't understand. He and Karai had known each other from as far as he could remember. He considered her like the sister he would never have, being the genetic impossibility that he was. _Why is she avoiding me? Is New York life keeping her so busy that she can't take a few minutes to make a call? Or is she in trouble, and she doesn't want to tell me so I won't get worried?_

Karai often teased him about the fact he was overworrying. But Leonardo felt that he had a right to, considering how dangerous her life was. _A ninja life._

How much Leonardo would have wanted to share that with her! However, his father didn't allow it. He said that Karai's acquaintances were bad company, and Leonardo couldn't really rule against him. Not after last time.

Sighing, Leonardo stood up and crossed his small and extremely tidy room – he kept it that way and always replaced the objects he used in their allocated spot, so that it would remain a safe place for his father – and made his way to the kitchen.

It was early enough in the evening that no one would be there, except the grey-haired chef who had raised him from infancy. His father was chopping vegetables. Leonardo admired the way the cook's knife was rising in the air before falling down inches from his fingers. Restraining himself from walking silently – he had done it once, when he was much younger, and he still had nightmares about what almost happened – Leonardo came closer to his father.

"Can I help?" He called softly.

The blind chef turned to him and smiled.

"Of course. Why don't you finish cutting these vegetables for the soup? I'll make a dough in the meantime."

Leonardo took the knife his father was offering him, ready to focus on that task to avoid thinking about Karai's peculiar silence.

* * *

Murakami listened to the sounds of his son chopping the vegetables. Although he couldn't see it, he was certain that Leonardo was overdoing it. A soup didn't require its ingredients to be cut to confetti. But he said nothing. His son's only friend – almost a sister – was an ocean away, and it wasn't like Leonardo could just go out and meet other people.

It was already a miracle that he had found her – or better, been found by her. Murakami smiled, remembering the day a tiny Karai had come to his shop, leading by the hand a strong and heavily armed man – her bodyguard, as she had told proudly – and politely asked for a meal. Leonardo had been hiding in the backroom, as he always did when they had customers. Despite being a small child, the mutant turtle could keep silent for hours. Until that day, nobody had noticed that the blind cook wasn't living alone. But somehow, Karai had escaped both her bodyguard and Murakami's supervision, and found her way to his non-human son.

It could have been their end – the blind chef couldn't bear to think about what would happen if Leonardo's existence was revealed to the world – but Karai's reaction had astounded him. Instead of freaking out, she had decided that she wanted Leonardo as a friend, and somehow coaxed the small turtle into trusting her.

Murakami didn't know how Karai's father – a very dangerous and powerful man, for what he knew – had taken the news, but he had never been bothered again by the district's thugs and no official had come to their shop to take Leonardo away.

So he had decided that he liked the girl, too. He was sad that she had to move so far away, but of course she had to follow her father. Leonardo had accepted it with great dignity, although Murakami knew that his son was feeling depressed, no matter what he pretended. The fact that Karai barely communicated with him anymore wasn't helping.

The blind cook knew that the situation couldn't last. Leonardo was a teenager, and sooner or later he would end up doing something stupid to deal with his pain. Something that was bound to be more dangerous to him than it would have been to any normal – any _human_ – teenager.

As the adult and his loving father, Murakami had to do something to prevent this from happening.

The chef waited until the knife's sounds stopped. He heard his son sniffle discreetly – the onions' fault, no doubt.

"Leonardo," he said softly. "We have something important to discuss. Sit down."

He felt a rustle as his son turned around and took a stool.

"Yes?" Leonardo answered hesitantly.

Murakami smiled at him.

"I've been thinking about moving to New York and opening a noodle shop there. What do you say?"

" _What?"_

Oh, how he wished he could see his son's face right now.

"Japanese food is a marvel in its own. It's only fair that other cultures get the chance to enjoy it too, don't you think?"

"But…"

Leonardo bit his lip. His father was blind. Adapting to an entirely new place – an entirely new _country_ – was bound to be difficult for him. It was a huge sacrifice he was consenting to for his son's sake. The thought brought tears to Leonardo's eyes.

"Father, I… You don't have to do this for me."

"But I want to, Leonardo," Murakami whispered. "You bring me such joy. I want you to be happy."

He extended his hand in Leonardo's direction and felt his son take it and press it tightly.

"So, what do you say?"

Leonardo put his father's hand on his cheek so that the blind chef could feel his tentative smile, not caring if said cheek was damp. Onions did that to your eyes anyway.

"Do we even have the money to pay for it?"

"We do."

Or at least, they would when Murakami would have sold his shop. The blind cook ignored the slight pang at this thought. His son was more important than any shop, as familiar and in-the-family-for-generations as it was.

"Then I say yes. Yes, yes, yes! Thank you so much, Father!" Leonardo exclaimed, launching himself at Murakami, happier than he had been in months.

 _I can't wait to tell Karai!_ Leonardo thought excitedly while hugging his father. Then something occurred to him and he chuckled. _On second thought, I don't think I will say anything about it to her. That will teach her not to answer my calls!_

This would make a wonderful surprise for his best and only friend. Oh, he couldn't wait to be with her again. Together, they could take everything New York had to offer.


	2. Glimpses

Strictly speaking, it was Raphael who saw her in the first place.

He had been scouting the city's streets with Casey as usual, looking for Purple Dragons to fight. The two teenagers were more careful than before – Hun was still mad at them for some reason, and the guy knew how to hold a grudge – but they hadn't stopped patrolling the city.

That evening, they had found themselves caught in the middle of a particularly big brawl involving another street gang besides the Purple Dragons. Unlike what he would have done a few months ago, Raphael had called his brothers for help, and Donatello and Michelangelo had been receiving and giving their fair share of hits and blows. The red-clad turtle enjoyed the feeling of fighting alongside them more than he was ready to acknowledge, and all in all it had been a good night.

It was only when the last thug had run away that Raphael's attention was caught by an almost imperceptible move on the rooftops. The red-clad turtle frowned. As far as he knew, he and his brothers were the only ones to use the rooftops as a regular way of crossing the city. Without caring to explain, he made for the nearest fire escape and climbed it swiftly.

When he reached the rooftop, however, the shadow he was convinced to have seen had disappeared. Perplexed, Raphael searched for a while, but he could find nothing.

In the meantime, his brothers and Casey had climbed the fire escape too, and were watching him with interrogative looks.

"I think I saw someone moving on this rooftop," Raphael answered their silent question, shrugging. "Someone stealthy."

"Stealthy like a ninja?" Michelangelo exclaimed excitedly. "Who could it be?"

"We're the only ninja in New York City, Mikey," Donatello answered, amused. "Raph has probably seen a ghost."

"I didn't imagine this, Donnie," Raphael protested. "It was real!"

"Don't worry, Raph," Casey teased him. "The fight probably intoxicated you. I knew it would happen someday. Not everyone can keep a clear head at all times like Casey Jones does!"

Of course, Raphael heavily protested, and the argument quickly degenerated into a playful fight with his best friend.

"As if they didn't have enough fighting already," Donatello sighed resignedly while Michelangelo kept score.

* * *

Donatello had been next, although not in person.

The purple-clad turtle and self-proclaimed genius of the family had set up cameras throughout the city to monitor Stockman's facilities. After the events that had led to April and Kirby O'Neil finding their freedom, thanks to a little help from their counterparts from another dimension, Donatello was convinced that the mad and genius scientist was going to seek revenge.

However, neither Stockman nor the Kraang had given any sign of life in the past weeks. Donatello knew better than to hope that they had mutually destroyed each other, and kept a vigilant watch. Stockman's operations and laboratories were still running – obviously, the genius scientist had been effective at delegating tasks.

The first weeks following their release, April and Kirby had lived in the lair with the turtles and Splinter. However, it was beginning to feel a little too crowded. Donatello had created new identities for both of them, and they now lived in an apartment in the city.

Of course, they had to slightly change their appearance. April's disguise sessions had been the pretext to a lot of laughing fits, and had helped release the tension the young girl was still feeling after living in captivity for so long.

Donatello felt blessed to finally have the opportunity to get to know her. She was strong-willed and clever, and was the first person who could follow Donatello's scientific reasoning – at least to some extent.

Not to mention that she was really pretty.

Anyway, Donatello was watching the recordings of his security cameras in fast-forward one night, when a flash of grey and black made him pause.

A second viewing, at a normal pace, then a third, slowly, and Donatello had no doubt that someone had been on the rooftops, close enough to the cameras he had hidden that he could acknowledge the blur for who it was.

A teenage girl, all armored up. Her face was hidden in the shadows.

"Guys! You've got to see this!" He shouted, knowing that Raphael and Michelangelo would be here in seconds, no matter what they were doing right now.

"Who is that girl?" Donatello asked, perplexed. "I've never seen her in town before."

"I don't know, Donnie," Raphael answered smugly. He was sweating. He had probably been doing push-ups or hitting his punch ball. "Maybe… a ninja? Like the one I saw last week? Remember, it was that night when _none of you_ believed me."

"That's right," Michelangelo supplied helpfully. He was covered with wheat flour, for a reason Donatello wasn't especially eager to learn. "You said that Raph was seeing ghosts."

Donatello coughed embarrassingly.

"Well, I suppose I stand corrected," he replied with dignity. "Mistakes are part of any good scientific approach."

"Sure, Donnie," Raphael answered, leaning forward. "As is apologizing to the wrongly offended, right?"

Donatello knew a threat when he saw one.

"Sorry, Raph. You were right and I was wrong," he replied immediately.

Raphael tilted his head.

"That's right," he retorted. "But I'm sure you can do better than that. I've been feeling really, _really_ offended."

"It doesn't answer your question," Michelangelo brought up, skillfully diverting the topic to Donatello's relief. "Who is this girl?"

"I don't know," Raphael acknowledged, giving up for now on teasing his purple-clad brother. "But I have a feeling we aren't seeing her for the last time."

* * *

Michelangelo was the first to spoke to her. He had been seeing his friend Mondo Gecko back home, to the hideout where New York mutants lived, and there she was, casually discussing with mutants twice her size and five times her weight.

There was something peculiar about the girl, something utterly _dangerous_ , and Michelangelo couldn't help feeling that if a fight was to happen between her and the mutants, she would leave the battle field without a scratch.

"Hello," Michelangelo welcomed her nonetheless. After all, first impressions could be misleading. "You're new in town?"

She turned to him, slightly widening her eyes at the sight of the orange-clad teenage mutant ninja turtle, and she remained speechless for a few seconds. Then the moment passed, and Michelangelo thought he had dreamed it. She seemed perfectly at ease.

"Hello, turtle. My name is Karai. And you are?"

"Michelangelo," he supplied warmly. "You can call me Mikey. How did you find this place? Usually, humans aren't welcomed here."

Karai tilted her head.

"I was curious. It's not as well-hidden as it should be, considering the proportion of big, hard-to-conceal mutants I see."

She scrutinized him coldly, and Michelangelo fought to keep his warm and welcoming attitude. Who did she think she was? Her manners were cruelly lacking.

"So you're a ninja, uh? Which clan, if I may ask?"

Michelangelo bit his lip. It was a touchy subject. Since his brothers and he had discovered that Splinter, their trusted father, had concealed from them for years the fact they had a fourth brother, the three turtles had decided to avoid wearing the symbol of the Hamato clan on their gear. It was meant as a protest, because they felt cheated about the values of honesty and honor their father had transmitted them.

"It's not that important," he answered uneasily. "It's just my brothers and I."

And his father. But for some reason, he didn't want to mention Splinter to her.

"If you say so," the young girl shrugged. "And do you live here?"

"No," the orange-clad turtle replied. "I live…elsewhere. With my family."

Karai seemed to realize that Michelangelo was on his guard, because she smiled at him apologetically.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I've been told I'm not a very welcoming person."

Relieved, Michelangelo smiled back.

"No problem, Karai," he answered. "See you around, then?"

"Certainly," the kunoichi said half in earnest, half in jest. "See you around."

When Michelangelo told his brothers about his strange encounter, they both frowned.

"She knows where the other mutants are hiding?" Donatello said. "I hope she's on the good side."

"She better would," Raphael retorted, bumping his fists. "Or I will make her choose the good side."

"Let's give her a chance, dudes," Michelangelo protested despite his earlier reservations. "She's new in New York City, she needs time to adjust. And she's a ninja too. That's great, right?"

"I don't know, Mikey," Donatello mused. "I wonder which clan she belongs to?"

* * *

Karai leapt over another street and crouched. There they were again, the three turtles that looked so painstakingly familiar.

New York City was a very interesting city to say the least, and one of his most disconcerting features was that it sheltered a small mutant community, apparently right under the authorities' nose. Karai had visited their hideout once, and had been impressed by its comfort.

But the three turtles she was currently spying on didn't live there. _Their_ hideout remained a mystery to her. Even the orange one, whom she had spoken to and who seemed friendly enough, didn't let her know where he was disappearing at day. Of course, Karai couldn't spend her whole time watching them. She had responsibilities within the Foot.

Karai shook her head, focusing on the sight in front of them. The three turtles and two humans – the hotheaded boy who was always with the red turtle and a girl that she was seeing for the first time – were sharing pizzas on a rooftop. From the look of them, they seemed to be happily exchanging jokes and teasing each other, as if sitting on a rooftop in the middle of the night with friends and family was the easiest thing in the world.

The sight made Karai's heart ache. Such a thing had never been easy for her, and there was only one person in the world who could make her lower her guard enough for that. And he was on another continent right now.

She needed to learn as much as she could about these other turtles, for Leonardo's sake. Their resemblance was eerie. She was certain that anyone who didn't know about her friend's childhood would have labelled him their brother.

Leonardo didn't know much about his past, and he certainly didn't remember having a previous family. Maybe it was a mere coincidence.

But Karai didn't believe in coincidences.

However, she didn't know how to tell Leonardo about the turtles. It was bound to upset him. _He would want to know_ , Karai thought. _He thinks he's the only one of his kind, and I know it makes him sad._

Whether they were related to him or not, Karai had no doubt that Leonardo would want to meet them if given the opportunity to.

To be honest, the kunoichi wasn't sure that she wanted her only friend to hang out with these strangers. _I know it's selfish,_ she chastised herself. _He has a right to be informed._

She checked her phone, more out of habit than because she expected a message – she always left it on silent mode.

She had another text from Leonardo.

Karai bit her lip, torn between the joy that he wasn't giving up on her despite her rather laconic replies and her guilt at hiding something this important from him.

That was why she hadn't dared to call him in months. Even with the distance, he would have immediately noticed that something was amiss. He knew her far too well.

She read the text, smiling.

_Do you want to dine at my father's noodle shop tonight?_

Karai raised her eyebrows. Leonardo's humor escaped her sometimes.

_Would have been great, but I don't think I can make the trip in time._

Leonardo's reply was short and cryptic.

_Are you sure?_

Now Karai was intrigued.

_Spit it out. Did you invent teleportation and forgot to mention it?_

_Better than that._

That last text had an embedded link, and Karai clicked on it with great curiosity. It was a miniature map, showing the location of a brand new noodle shop.

Karai watched it, not knowing which emotion made her heart beat faster. Was it the shock of the revelation? Anger that Leonardo had kept it a secret until now, when there was no doubt the preparations had taken weeks? Happiness at seeing her best friend again after months of separation? Or anxiety because she wasn't ready to make her decision yet?

Karai clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to calm her mind in turmoil. _Do I tell him now or do I wait until I know more about them?_ That last option would look very much like a lie, and although Karai didn't mind lying in general, she didn't like to lie to the only person in the world she considered as a friend.

However, her reflection time had come to an abrupt end.

Leonardo was in New York.


	3. Long Time No See

Leonardo was smiling stupidly at how he had tricked Karai. Of course, he knew that she would get back at him – her last text, ' _Coming soon. Craving for some turtle soup'_ was proof enough of that -, but it had been worth it. _That's what you get for not answering me_ , he thought with great satisfaction.

The mutant turtle took another look at his work. He had cooked tonight's dinner himself: a soup, noodles and grilled fish with vegetables. No dessert, as neither he nor Karai were particularly fond of sweets. The dishes looked appetizing, which he was especially proud of.

Leonardo wasn't exactly born with a natural talent for cooking, but you're not raised in a noodle shop by a gifted chef without learning a thing or two about his art, and he was a fairly decent cook by now.

Murakami had retreated in his room to allow the two friends some privacy. The blind cook was extremely tired anyways. The trip by cargo ship had been taxing, but it was easier to travel by ship than by plane when your son was a mutant turtle. Leonardo had considered waiting for a few days before inviting Karai, so that his father would have the time to rest, but Murakami had assured him that he didn't mind and his son had yielded to his youthful impatience.

A sudden creaking – the hinges of their new door would definitely need to be oiled – was his only warning before he was crushed by a furious kunoichi.

"Leonardo! How dare you!" Karai's voice hissed in his sensitive ear.

"Hello, Karai," Leonardo answered teasingly despite the fact he was now sprawled on the floor. "Long time no see. I guess you liked my surprise?"

Karai shook her head and went on hissing at him, punctuating her words with light punches at Leonardo's arms and legs.

"Don't. You. Dare. Do. That. To. Me. Again."

Leonardo laughed.

"I don't think it's going to happen, Miss I-never-answer-my-phone. Not unless you intend to move once more and haughtily ignore my calls again."

He ignored her annoyed reply and rolled over, freeing himself from his friend's grip before standing up.

"Dinner is ready, milady," he bowed. "If you would be so kind."

He motioned for her to take a stool with great ceremony, making her smile. Karai sat down and took a mouthful of her first dish before nodding appreciatively.

"It's delicious. You've gone a long way since your rather…original…beginnings."

Leonardo couldn't help blushing.

"Hard work beats talent in the long term," he replied, cut to the quick.

Karai grinned at him.

"You can also have both, you know."

Leonardo pretended to pout and she laughed, thrilled to be in his company once again.

"Aww, don't look at me that way. I told you, it's delicious. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Leonardo's blush deepened.

"Uh…" He eloquently answered, before absorbing himself in the degustation of his food.

"Did you come here for me?" Karai teased him. "That's so sweet, Leo."

Leonardo coughed and changed the topic.

"What have you been up to, Karai? I didn't get much information about your whereabouts, and I'm dying to know."

Karai inhaled sharply. Now that she was in front of her best friend again, she wanted to enjoy his light-hearted company for a while longer. Besides, Leonardo had just arrived from Japan and could use some time to get accustomed to his new city. She didn't want to upset him by breaking the news that she had met three other turtles who looked just like him. _Later. I'll tell him later._

"Karai?" Leonardo asked, tilting his head and waiting for her answer.

Karai averted her eyes.

"Foot business. You know I can't…"

"…tell me everything. I know."

Leonardo sighed.

"But certainly, you haven't spent your whole time working for your father, right?"

Karai took another mouthful, decided to set aside her guilt-ridden thoughts for now.

"Maybe I've explored New York City a bit," she teased him. "But I don't know if you deserve to learn about it."

Leonardo rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on. You're the one who started it," he retorted.

Karai grinned at him.

"Fine. What do you say I show you some nice places I found? Tomorrow night."

Leonardo joined his hands.

"Now you're talking my language. I'd be happy too."

Karai winked at him and Leonardo gazed at her, enjoying the fact that he was able to. He couldn't wait to scout this new city with her. He had missed their little trips on the rooftops, their dares to each other, their mutual and silent understanding.

But something was bothering him. Why had she been so distant in the past few months? And why did he have the feeling that she was hiding something from him?

"Karai?" He asked hesitantly. "Are you sure there is nothing else?"

Karai didn't reply immediately and when she did, she didn't answer Leonardo's question.

"Do you trust me, Leo?"

The turtle's answer was immediate.

"Of course, Karai. You're my best friend."

"Then believe me when I say that some things are better left unsaid. For now."

Leonardo met her eyes, trying to decipher their shadows.

"Fine," he finally told her. "I won't pry, if you're not ready to tell me whatever it is that's bothering you. Just remember I'm here for you."

"I know, Leo. Thanks."

Leonardo smiled at her.

"More fish?"

"With pleasure."

* * *

Somewhere in New York City, a tall armored man with a helmet was pacing back and forth in front of a metallic throne. Everything in him looked dangerous, from his catlike walk to the thorny gauntlets he was absent-mindedly playing with. A small shadow slipped inside the room and advanced towards him, kneeling at his feet and bowing her head. The man stopped and glared severely at the girl he named his daughter.

"You're late, Karai."

The teenage girl closed her eyes.

"Forgive me, Father. It's not going to happen again."

The Shredder watched her carefully.

"It better wouldn't. Where have you been?"

Karai raised her eyes. She felt uneasy, even if her father probably already knew the answer. He had never really liked Leonardo – but he hadn't forbidden her from seeing him, and for that she was grateful.

"I was with Leonardo and his father. They're living in New York now."

Shredder slowly nodded.

"So I have been told," he merely commented. "I hope their presence won't distract you. The work we have begun here, in New York City, can't be delayed."

"I know, Father. It won't. The Foot is always my highest priority."

Shredder nodded, satisfied.

"New York City's street gangs are beginning to fear us. I've infiltrated men in every company that could be of interest to us. Soon, I'll be the most powerful man in this city."

"As is only appropriate."

"Have you learned anything new? Do you know why this city counts so many mutants, who created them and why?"

"Not yet. I have a foot in the door with their small community, but I still haven't fully gained their trust," Karai answered. "They're whispering of aliens, though."

"Bring me proof, and I may believe these ridiculous stories," Shredder retorted, irritated. "It looks like you're losing your time."

An idea suddenly occurred to him and he squinted at his daughter.

"Why don't you ask your so-called friend? He's a mutant too. They should trust him more easily."

Karai winced.

"His father doesn't want him to be involved in our business," she said softly, almost fearfully.

"I don't care what that blind cook thinks," Shredder retorted with disdain. "Remember, my daughter. Friendship in itself is a loss of time. If a relationship isn't useful to you, there is no point in continuing it."

Karai clenched her fists at the implicit warning.

"Yes, Father," she answered, not allowing her feelings to show on her face. "I'll follow your advice."

Doing anything else would have been foolish.

Her father dismissed her with a wave of his hand, and she stood up and left. She wondered how Leonardo would react, and what his father would say. She didn't know either how she would prevent him from meeting the other turtles before she had had a chance to learn who they truly were. _There is no point in worrying about it now_ , she thought. _At least I'll have an excuse to see him tomorrow night._


	4. Absence

Michelangelo put his joystick down. Another highscore for the best player in video game history! The orange-clad turtle took the time to enjoy his victory before standing up and making for the kitchen.

His iron stomach had already digested the pizzas he had shared with his brothers, Casey and April a few hours ago, and he needed some food. He opened the freezer and served himself a generous portion of the stew he had cooked up for Leatherhead the day before. Sitting at the kitchen table, he began eating with appetite.

"You're a bottomless pit."

Michelangelo turned his head to the newcomer. Donatello was standing in the kitchen doorway, looking at him with a half-amused and half-resigned look. The orange-clad turtle grinned at his brother.

"I'm in full growth. I need to eat accordingly. You said so yourself."

Donatello shook his head.

"You already ate four pizzas and a half tonight. How can you still be hungry?"

"Another mystery science is unable to solve," Michelangelo replied, winking at his brother.

He indicated his plate.

"Do you want some?"

"No thanks," Donatello answered, sitting next to Michelangelo.

The orange-clad turtle went on eating, unfazed.

Donatello leaned on his elbow and watched him pensively.

"One dollar for your thoughts, Donnie," Michelangelo chirped.

"Mikey, you don't have one dollar."

"One metaphorical dollar, then. Seriously, bro. What's the big moody face?"

Donatello raised his head and shrugged.

"I keep thinking about the girl you met. The kunoichi."

"Karai?"

"Yes. I've made some research, and I still don't know who her clan is. It's as if she is the only one."

"Master Splinter always says that ninja are best pals with shadows. Maybe they don't want to be noticed?"

Donatello watched his brother with amusement.

"It's a rather approximate quote, but I get the idea. Yes, it would make sense, but someone should still have seen something."

"Maybe it's a small clan. If that's bothering you this much, why don't you go ask her? I've been told that she often hangs out in the mutants' hideout."

"I don't know, Mikey. I don't want to appear suspicious or unwelcoming. Maybe I'm just getting the wrong idea and there is nothing to worry about. Maybe…"

Donatello hesitated.

"Maybe what?" Michelangelo inquired, his mouth full of stew.

"Maybe I'm just troubled because she reminds me of the last time we met other ninja in New York City," Donatello finished his sentence softly.

The two brothers exchanged a meaningful glance. The last ninja they had encountered had been their counterparts from another universe, including a Leonardo in great form. At the time, they hadn't been aware that they were supposed to be four, and adjusting to the existence of this ninja turtle pretending to be their brother in another universe had been challenging – especially for Raphael. Then the truth had come out, and Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello had learned that they had another brother too. In the end, they had learned a lot from Leonardo and his brothers, but the memories were tainted by the pain of the loss of their own Leonardo.

Michelangelo put his spoon down and put his hand on Donatello's.

"I know, Donnie," Michelangelo whispered softly.

Donatello squeezed Michelangelo's hand. From the three of them, his orange-clad brother was probably the one who missed the other turtles the most.

"I know it's pointless, Michelangelo began. "But I can't help wondering if our Leo would have resembled theirs. If he had grown up with us."

"Me too, Mikey," Donatello answered. "Me too."

* * *

Raphael was rolling down the ill-lighted streets alongside his best friend Casey Jones. When April had decided that it was time for her to go to sleep, Donatello and Michelangelo had seen her safely home – despite her protests that she could take care of herself – before going back to the lair. For Raphael and Casey, however, the night was still young. There were thugs in the streets that needed to be stopped, and the two hotheads were more than happy to do so.

However, their favorite targets were nowhere in sight.

"No Purple Dragons tonight," Casey remarked disappointedly. "I feared this day would come. Nobody to beat down for Raphael and Casey Jones."

Raphael shook his head.

"Nah. We'll just have to push further. The Purple Dragons aren't the only street gang in this city."

Casey perked up.

"You're right! That's talking. Let's try another area."

They skated past a brand new noodle shop which didn't retain their attention - after all, it wasn't as if Raphael or his brothers could have lunch in a human restaurant – and arrived in another neighborhood. Raphael surveyed his surroundings, suddenly nervous – he had a feeling that they weren't alone.

At his side, Casey Jones poked him with his hockey stick.

"Looks like we're arriving just in time to stop a robbery."

Raphael focused his attention back on the street in front of him and realized that Casey was right. Unless the owner of this cell phones' shop had invited friends to have fun breaking his own window, there was indeed a robbery going on.

The red-clad turtle grinned in anticipation and unsheathed his sai.

"What are we waiting for? Let's stop them."

With a grin matching Raphael's, Casey accelerated and overtook his friend to be the first to land a blow on the thieves. They were only three, so Raphael had to hurry if he wanted to participate in the upcoming fight. The red-clad turtle huffed and was about to join Casey when a move behind him made him turn around just in time to block the edge of a sword.

"What the…" Raphael exclaimed, trying to discern who had so stealthily attacked him.

The shadows in front of him were moving too strangely to be a normal part of the dimly light alleyway, and Raphael could see flashes of naked steel. The red-clad turtle moved to the left to avoid another blow, and tried to disarm his adversary. But whoever was fighting him knew his art well and expertly blocked the blow.

"Who are you?" Raphael shouted.

"People who don't appreciate boys messing with their important business. You should stay away from us."

Raphael gritted his teeth and launched another attack. Behind him, he heard Casey calling his name. He hoped that his friend was doing okay. The red-clad turtle focused back on his opponent. _He's good. I should call Donnie and Mikey, even if the lair is probably too far away for them to arrive in time._ Raphael tried to grab his phone, but before he had a chance to achieve his goal, a vicious blow sent him flying into the wall and he let go of his weapons. He doubled over in pain and picked himself up, only to be pinned to the floor by an armored foot.

"A mutant ninja?" A voice said in surprise somewhere on his right.

"He has some skill," a cold voice stated above him. "His weapons aren't only for the show, as we previously thought. I'll have to report this to our master."

"Your master?" Raphael spat. "And who would that be?"

"You're not worthy of learning his name, mutant," the voice said disdainfully. "Tell me. Who trained you?"

Raphael tried to break free, but stopped when the tip of a sword stroked his throat. He held his breath.

Police sirens suddenly echoed in the streets, and the shadows surrounding him moved away and disappeared, leaving him panting on the concrete. Casey was at his side one second later.

"I called the cops," Casey muttered, helping Raphael to stand. "Can you walk?"

Raphael rebuffed him, ashamed.

"Yes. I was just… taken by surprise, that's all. What about the thieves?"

"Another street gang, nothing I couldn't handle," Casey shrugged. "What happened to you? Who were these guys?"

"Ninja," Raphael muttered. "They were the real threat."

The red-clad turtle moved his limbs, relieved that he had nothing sprained nor broken.

"Come, let's go before the police arrive."

Casey nodded and the two teenagers quickly escaped the fight scene.

"Ninja," Casey whispered pensively. "And this time, not of the good kind."

* * *

Master Splinter was sitting cross-legged in the dojo, meditating in front of the small shrine his sons had wanted to build for their lost brother. After all these years, the ninja master was relieved to finally have a dedicated place to honor Leonardo's memory.

His concentration was broken by shouts in the living room. Master Splinter frowned and stood up to inquire about the commotion.

His three sons and Casey Jones where standing in the living room. Splinter's heart missed a beat when he took in Raphael's appearance. His red-clad son was covered in bruises.

"Raphael! What happened?" Splinter exclaimed, hurrying to him.

"Raph had a bad encounter," Casey explained wearily, letting himself drop on the couch while Donatello ran to the kitchen to bring some ice.

"Why didn't you call us for reinforcements?" Michelangelo exclaimed, upset.

"I didn't have time," Raphael growled, ashamed and in pain. "It happened too fast."

Splinter frowned.

"We were about to stop a robbery," Casey explained. "When strange shadows surrounded Raph and beat him up. I hadn't even known they were there."

"They were ninja," Raphael brusquely said, grasping the towel filled with ice that Donatello was giving him and putting it against his bruised skin. The cold was welcome. "I had never seen them before."

"Another ninja clan in New York?" Splinter felt his anxiety rise. The only other ninja clan he knew was ruled by a man who hated him. But it was in Japan, halfway around the world. "Were they wearing any distinctive sign?"

"I don't know, Sensei," Raphael replied with all the respect he could still muster in his humiliated state. He wasn't accustomed to losing so utterly. "I was busy fighting for my life. All I can tell you is that one of them at least was really good."

Michelangelo tried to put a hand on his brother's arm to soothe him, but Raphael waved it away. Shaking his head, the orange-clad turtle ran away from the room. He knew someone who could appease his brother's hurt feelings.

A few seconds later, he came back with Spike in his hands. Raphael gruffly took his pet turtle and moved him to his shoulder.

"Do you think they are of the girl's clan?" Michelangelo asked.

Splinter turned sharply to him.

"Who are you talking about, Michelangelo?"

"I met a kunoichi the other day," the orange-clad turtle answered uneasily. "Her name is Karai. I don't know much about her, really. She seemed… uh… competent."

Splinter looked at his son pensively. Michelangelo usually described his new acquaintances with more enthusiasm.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" He finally asked, frowning. "This is important news."

"We didn't have any problem with her until now," Donatello answered in Michelangelo's place. "Technically, we still don't. We don't even know if she's from the clan who attacked Raph."

"Of course she is," Raphael growled. "Next time I meet her, or anyone of her clan, I'll…"

"You will think before you act, Raphael," Master Splinter stated calmly. "We don't want to give them a reason to chase us."

"But what if they do, Sensei?" Raphael retorted, stroking Spike's head carefully.

Master Splinter sighed.

"We will see if it comes to that," he answered cryptically.

He looked at his three sons.

"In any case, this is extremely unsettling. I'll increase your training. And you're not allowed to leave the lair alone. Stay together at all times."

Raphael bit his lip. He hated when his freedom was restricted.

"But Master Splinter, surely you don't need to take such measures. They just got me by surprise. Next time I'll be ready, and they won't win so easily."

"I certainly hope so, Raphael," his father told him sternly. "And I'll do everything in my power to help you achieve that. But you're still not allowed to leave the lair on your own, or to hang out solely with Mr. Jones. No offense, Casey," he added to the teenage boy still lying on the couch.

"None taken, Master Splinter," Casey answered generously.

"The same goes for both of you," Master Splinter went on, looking at Donatello and Michelangelo. "Until we know more about these new ninja, you'll have to be extremely careful."

"Hai, Sensei," Donatello and Michelangelo answered respectfully.

Raphael huffed and turned around, leaving in search for lettuce leaves to feed Spike. Michelangelo sat on the couch next to Casey in order to listen to his detailed description of tonight's events. Donatello muttered something about information search and made for his lab.

Master Splinter went back to the dojo, his heart filled with concern. He hoped that this new ninja clan was only here by coincidence and had nothing to do with his old enemy. He couldn't bear the thought of his beloved sons being caught in their feud.

Walking past Leonardo's shrine, he glanced at the picture of the infant turtle.

He couldn't lose another child.


	5. So Close

In the end, Karai decided not to tell Leonardo about her father's request. She had had the intention to bring him to the mutants' hideout anyway. She would see what would happen and act accordingly.

She spared a look at her friend, who was running on the rooftops next to her. Or more precisely, he was doing a lot of coming and going in his attempt to see everything at once. Karai smiled fondly.

"This city is amazing!" Leonardo exclaimed, breathless. "Look at this scenery! And that one, over there! I love it!"

The turtle stopped and opened his arms theatrically.

"How can you not marvel at this?"

"I've been in this city for months. You grow accustomed to it."

"I don't think I ever will," Leonardo replied.

His good mood was catching and Karai chuckled.

"If you say so. But maybe you should pay more attention to your immediate surroundings and less to the scenery. I doubt the humans in the streets below would marvel at you."

"They would have to see me for that," Leonardo replied, wrapping himself theatrically in the black hooded cloak he was wearing.

He had also wrapped his arms and legs in black straps. Karai restrained herself from telling him that he was reminding her of a giant bat.

"There is more to stealth than dressing in black, Leo."

"It's still part of it. How many rainbow-colored ninja have you seen recently?"

"You're not a ninja."

"Don't rub it in. You know how much I would like to be one."

Karai's smile vanished.

"It's not always fun, Leo."

Leonardo shrugged.

"My current life isn't always fun either," he replied softly.

The black-clad turtle shook his head, determined to keep his good mood.

"Besides, I'm stealthy. And I can prove it to you! Just give me a few seconds!"

Karai tilted her head. She knew what Leonardo had in mind, and she was happy to indulge him.

"Half a second, that's all I'll give you this time."

"I'll take it!"

Karai shook her head and blinked once. When her eyes opened again, Leonardo had disappeared. She hadn't heard him move.

The kunoichi began searching the rooftop, moving as silently as she could and checking every chimney, overhang or antenna she saw in the moonlight. She knew Leonardo was still on this rooftop – it was their rule.

She kept listening, in case Leonardo would be moving from hiding place to hiding place.

Nothing.

It didn't mean that he was motionless; his friend could move even quieter than her. It was almost frightening; not that she was ever going to acknowledge it in front of him. He had told her once that he was regularly practicing at home, trying to get past his father's notice. Murakami's hearing was extremely sensitive, and it was no small feat.

When she had checked every place, Karai decided to change tactics. Taking a handful of wooden shuriken, she began throwing them in every possible direction. She knew Leonardo would probably evade them – but his outfit wouldn't.

Soon, she heard the soft rustle of cloth being torn, and she ran in that direction, catching an unhappy-looking Leonardo.

"Hey! My cloak! Cheater!"

"It's not against the rules," she teased him. "If you want to go for a walk with clothes the size of a blanket, fine by me. But don't ask me not to take advantage of it. I'm sneaky, remember?"

Leonardo stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed and took his arm.

"Come. I'll show you a place where you won't have to hide," Karai said mysteriously.

* * *

Leonardo couldn't believe his eyes. It was almost too much to process. When Karai had disappeared inside a poorly-looking warehouse, asking him to wait for her, he had been doubtful at best. But when she finally invited him to enter, what was inside exceeded his craziest expectations.

A mutant community! People who, like him, were humanoid – more or less – but not human!

At his side, Karai was grinning. He nudged her.

"I can't believe you told me nothing about this place!"

"You wouldn't have believed me," she protested.

"Maybe not," Leonardo conceded.

He had put his hood on. Karai had told him that it was a custom here – new mutants only showed their appearance when they were accepted as full community members. Leonardo had accepted her explanation without question, too thrilled to be suspicious.

Of course, it wasn't true. Karai simply didn't want anyone to make the connection between him and the other turtles. When she had come alone inside earlier, to check that Michelangelo wasn't there, she had pretended to the others mutants that her friend was really ugly and didn't like to show his face. They had nodded gravely. It wasn't unheard of. In this regard, the mutation process was like Russian roulette.

In a corner of her mind, Karai knew that Leonardo would discover her scheme sooner or later – but she didn't want him to meet any of the other turtles just now. She needed to prepare him - and herself – for the truth first. Then he would have to forgive her.

A gecko mutant Karai had seen hanging out with Michelangelo came closer to welcome the newcomer.

"Hello," he said enthusiastically, sticking his impressive mouth out to catch a passing fly. Leonardo tried not to gape at him too much. "I'm Mondo Gecko, but you can call me Mondo. Welcome here. What's your name, pal?"

"I'm Leonardo," the turtle answered happily. "You can call me Leo."

The mutant's eyes widened until they seemed ready to pop out of his face.

"Seriously? You're the second mutant Leonardo I meet this year. It's a shame you can't meet the first, he really was something."

Leonardo tilted his hooded head, intrigued. Next to him, Karai frowned. She hadn't heard this story before.

"Really? What happened to him? Did he move to another country?" Leonardo asked.

"Oh no," Mondo replied. "Or yes, I suppose you could say that. He moved to another world."

Leonardo blinked.

"But it's a story for another time," Mondo exclaimed. "Tonight, I want to learn everything about you! Where are you from?"

"Japan."

"I've always wanted to go there! But excuse me for asking, Leonardo isn't a very common Japanese name, right?"

"You're right," Leonardo answered uneasily.

"It's also a story for another time," Karai interjected, putting her arm on Leonardo's shoulder protectively. "Why don't you show Leo your hideout instead?"

"Great idea, great idea! Follow me!" Mondo said enthusiastically before dragging the new mutant along.

* * *

In the lair, Raphael was beating his punch bag with everything he had got. The poor thing was threatening to explode soon. Michelangelo was watching the scene, arms crossed.

"Raph," he called.

No answer.

"Raph!"

"I'm busy, Mikey," Raphael said through gritted teeth.

Michelangelo sighed theatrically and played his trump card.

"Raphie."

He knew the use of his brother's affectionate old nickname always unsettled him enough to divert his attention. Indeed, Raphael stopped and turned to his shorter brother, blushing.

"Don't call me that!"

"I'm bored," Michelangelo said unfazed. "I want to go out."

Raphael threw up his hands.

"Me too. But you heard what Splinter said."

"He didn't forbid us to leave the lair, only to leave the lair alone. The three of us can go out together."

Raphael rolled his eyes.

"Then be my guest, go fetch Donnie. He said not to disturb him under any pretext. Or else."

Michelangelo gulped. When Donatello said that, he usually intended to conduct extremely dangerous experiments. Last time the orange-clad turtle had ignored his genius brother's warning, he had almost ended up as barbecue turtle.

"You're the strongest. That's a mission for you," Michelangelo said. Maybe flattery would work.

Raphael glared at him.

"I'm strong, not stupid," he told him.

_It was worth a try_ , Michelangelo thought sheepishly.

The two brothers came closer to Donatello's lab door. It was closed and the usual 'Keep out!' panel was in place, along with the rarer 'if you care about your life at all' one. Disturbing noises and curses Splinter would certainly not have approved of could be heard through the door.

Michelangelo raised his arm to knock, but his move was interrupted by the sound of an explosion followed by an exasperated 'Not again!' shout and he wisely gave up.

"I don't think that's a good idea to ask him now," he whispered. "Let's try again later, when he will have finished whatever invention he's working on."

Raphael grunted.

"You know it can take weeks. Do you want to stay confined in the lair for that long?"

Michelangelo looked at his brother unhappily. Then an idea occurred to him, and he took his cell phone.

"Calling him instead of knocking at his door won't change the fact Donnie will be in a bad mood if we interrupt him," Raphael remarked, doubtful.

"I'm not calling Donnie," Michelangelo told him with a wink.

He lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hi, April," he chirped. "I need your help."

Raphael nodded, understanding his brother's plan. For a reason that was beyond the red-clad turtle's understanding, Donatello never seemed to be bothered by April, no matter when she was calling on him.

"Thanks!" Michelangelo was exclaiming joyfully.

A few minutes later, Donatello's lab door opened and the purple-clad turtle went out, his cheeks slightly redder than usual. He was covered in grease. His brothers tried to look at what he had been doing, but the purple-clad turtle swiftly closed the door and they got little for their efforts.

Donatello sent his brothers an annoyed look.

"Seriously, guys? You asked _April_ to tell me to come out?"

Raphael and Michelangelo both grinned sheepishly at him.

"It was safer that way," Michelangelo explained. "You were going mad scientist again."

"I'm working for us," Donatello answered irritated. "I'm in the process of building a… never mind. I'll show you later."

"So, Donnie," Michelangelo asked tentatively. "Are you tempted by a nice outing with your favorite brothers?"

Donatello inhaled sharply, ready to give them a piece of his mind, but they were both looking at him with such hope that he didn't have the heart to disappoint them.

"Fine," he sighed. "Give me five minutes to get ready."

"You're the best, bro," Michelangelo hugged him, putting grease all over his own plastron.

Raphael grinned at his purple-clad brother but stayed at a safe distance.

Donatello shook his head.

"Will Casey be joining us?" He asked Raphael.

"Not tonight," Raphael said. "He has to babysit his little sister. What about April?"

Donatello tilted his head.

"You could have asked her directly," he said wryly. "But no. She has exams tomorrow morning. And Mondo?" He added for Michelangelo's sake.

"No, he's busy welcoming a new mutant," Michelangelo answered, still hugging Donatello.

"Another one? I thought the mutations had stopped since Stockman's disappearance," his purple-clad brother replied, surprised.

"Maybe someone had kept a mutagen canister in an inappropriate place," Raphael muttered. "They do nice lava lamps, apparently."

"Ridiculous," Donatello said, dismissing the idea. "Nobody in his right mind would mistake a mutagen canister for a lava lamp."

"It's only the three of us, then," Michelangelo stated, letting go of Donatello. He felt suddenly enthusiastic at this idea. It had been an eternity since he had hanged out with just his brothers.

* * *

Leonardo was walking dreamily next to Karai, thinking about the endless possibilities offered by the presence of a mutant hideout in his new city.

The kunoichi nudged him, annoyed at being ignored.

"Uh?" Leonardo told her, his mind still elsewhere.

"Earth to Leonardo," Karai said. "You're not paying any attention to me. You know how much I hate that."

Leonardo smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

Karai smiled at him.

"I know, I know. That's a lot to process, right?"

_And you still don't know about the most disturbing part,_ she thought guiltily.

"Oh yes!" Leonardo exclaimed, laughing. "Thank you so much for showing me this place, it…" His voice softened. "It means a lot to me."

The black-clad turtle offered his friend a beautiful, happy smile, and Karai couldn't help smiling back at him.

"Now I think I'll head home," Leonardo added. "Before my father begins worrying."

"Good idea," Karai said mischievously. "I hope you can open the door, though."

Leonardo looked at her with perplexity.

"And why couldn't I?" He asked, automatically searching his belt for his keys.

As he didn't find them, his eyes widened.

"Wait a minute. Did you steal my keys?"

"I told you, you weren't paying attention to me."

"Haha, very funny. Now give them back to me."

"I don't have them anymore," Karai said, enjoying her effect.

"Karai!" Leonardo exclaimed, shocked.

"Don't worry, you can't miss them. They are somewhere between the mutant hideout and here."

"It's a one-mile distance!"

"Then you better begin searching now, right? I'll wait for you here."

Leonardo threw up his hands and ran to retrace his steps, muttering under his breath. Karai crossed her arms, extremely satisfied with herself. She hadn't left his keys very far away – she wasn't stupid. He would probably need five minutes to find them, then five other minutes to go back here.

She sat as comfortably as she could and allowed her mind to wander. Now Leonardo knew that this city sheltered a lot of mutants. All she had to do was find a way to understand why three of these mutants looked very much like him and break the news to him as delicately as she could before someone else did, while at the same time performing her duties in the Foot clan. This Mondo had seemed surprised to hear Leonardo's name, and Karai had no idea why. It couldn't be good.

Karai suddenly felt presences nearby and slowly drew her tanto, ready to face whoever dared to surprise her.

"Look who's there."

She took a strangled breath when she recognized the three figures who had just gracefully landed on the rooftop. She slowly sheathed her blade again.

"Michelangelo, and your… brothers, I presume," she said in an indifferent tone while her heart began to beat faster. "I don't think we already met."

"Hi, Karai," Michelangelo said uneasily. He indicated the tallest turtle, who was scrutinizing her with a curious look behind his purple mask. "This is Donatello, or Donnie."

Karai nodded at the purple-clad turtle who was wearing a jacket and a bo staff. He returned the nod, not exactly friendly but not openly threatening either.

"And the red one is my brother Raphael, or Raph."

"But you're not allowed to use that nickname," Raphael spat. He was the one who had spoken first, and _he_ was threatening, his hands inches from the sai in his belt. Not that she was afraid. She was a gifted kunoichi, trained by the best master in the entire world.

But she hadn't much time. Leonardo would be here soon.

"Let's talk about your little ninja friends," Raphael said.

"My ninja friends?" She said, tilting her head.

"Those who attacked me last night."

Karai swore inwardly. Her father hadn't mentioned anything like that. She would have to lead her own investigation among the Foot.

"I'm not responsible for their behavior," she shrugged.

Raphael drew his sai.

"So you know them!" He growled. "Well, I have a message for them. You better convey it."

Karai frowned. She didn't like being talked to like that. She decided to use this pretext to get rid of the turtles before Leonardo came back.

"Mind your manners," she answered teasingly. "You're talking to a lady."

Before Raphael could answer, she moved quickly to Donatello and pushed him towards Raphael. Surprised, the latter turtle didn't move aside in time and both turtles fell over.

"Hey!" Michelangelo exclaimed, grabbing his nunchucks. "Not nice!"

"Your brother started it," Karai retorted.

She threw a smoke bomb on the ground and used the commotion to push Michelangelo on his brothers before running after Leonardo.

Michelangelo moaned and moved Donatello's foot aside from his nose.

"You know, when I said we rarely spent quality time just the three of us, I had something else in mind."

"Shut up, Mikey," Raphael answered in a strangled voice. "And move your shell. You and Donnie are crushing me."

"I knew I should have stayed in my lab," Donatello merely muttered.

* * *

Karai didn't have to go far to find Leonardo. He was a few rooftops away, swirling his keys with an annoyed expression which immediately switched to concern when he saw her.

"Karai? Is something wrong? Why are you sweating?"

He looked over her shoulder.

"Is someone after you?"

"No, I was just getting tired of waiting for you," Karai answered casually.

Leonardo frowned, and she hurriedly went on.

"What about a little race now? Unless you're afraid of losing. Again."

The teasing had his desired effect and Leonardo focused his attention back on her. He loved racing. It was as close to freedom as he would ever get.

A few minutes later and many rooftops away, Karai and Leonardo were both panting heavily.

"I…almost…won… this time," Leonardo exhaled.

"But…you…still…lost," Karai retorted.

After catching her breath again, she stretched.

"Time to call it a night. I have business to attend to, and you have to go home."

Leonardo nodded.

"See you again tomorrow, then?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to," Karai answered reluctantly. "I'll call you to keep you informed."

Leonardo playfully frowned.

"Oh, you mean you're actually able to do that? I hadn't noticed."

"Just go home, Leo," Karai said, shaking her head and pretending to be exasperated.

Leonardo grinned and waved his hand at her before making for the nearest fire escape.

Karai watched with relief her friend climb down then disappear in the street below. It had been a close one. Turning around, she began gathering speed to jump on the next rooftop.

And almost stumbled when someone unexpectedly addressed her.

"There you are."

She looked at the three shadows who had somehow managed to catch up with her. They had their weapons drawn, except for the purple one – Donatello – who was holding a beeping device.

"You followed me?" She said, impressed in spite of herself.

"You're not the only one who can be stealthy," Raphael said coldly. "We hadn't finished our conversation. What were you saying about manners, already?"

Karai was still looking at Donatello. With cold suspicion, she checked her outfit. And there, on her back, was a tiny spot which didn't belong here.

She pulled it off, offended. Clearly, she had underestimated these turtles.

"You tracked me," she spat.

"That's what you get for pushing me," Donatello merely shrugged.

He put his device back in his jacket and took his bo staff.

Karai casually drew her blade. Now that she hadn't to worry about Leonardo, she could take her time to talk to the three mutant turtles. Maybe she would learn a thing or two about where they lived and who trained them. She didn't want to fight them unless it became truly necessary.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot," she said. "Why not talk this out?"

"Sure, we will," Raphael replied. "Right after we beat you."

Michelangelo shifted uneasily, obviously willing to accept her offer. Donatello moved in front of his red-clad brother, preventing him from attacking right away.

"Talking is fine," he said warily. "But you won't mind if we don't trust you right now, will you?"

"It's such a shame, Donnie," she sighed heavily.

She sheathed her blade and opened her hands.

"See? I don't want to harm you."

Then she crossed her arms and waited for their reaction, her senses focused on them and ready to draw her blade again if necessary.

"So someone _was_ after you, Karai," a very well-known voice echoed behind her, and Karai's heart skipped a beat. "Why didn't you tell me? Now I'm really curious."

_No, Leo, not now,_ she thought, frozen. _Go away._

She found her voice.

"Leo, stand back!"

"Did she just say _Leo_?" Michelangelo whispered.

But Leonardo had no intention to comply. His curiosity was too strong. Besides, he had listened to Karai's last words and heard her sheathe her tanto, so whoever was in front of her wasn't an enemy. He made his last jump to land next to his friend, and his hood fell, the moonlight revealing his features.

A metallic clatter was heard as the three strangers in front of him dropped their weapons. As one, they took a step forward to better look at him.

Leonardo's world shattered as his eyes fell upon them.


	6. Triptych

Leonardo had stopped moving, stopped talking, stopped thinking. He had even stopped breathing.

Then time moved forward again.

Leonardo blinked, several times, but the vision he had in front of him didn't change.

Still, what his eyes were showing him wasn't possible.

It wasn't like he hadn't dreamed of this a thousand times before. Not to be the only mutant turtle in the world.

But that was all these were: dreams. Reality was harsher. Reality was being a freak – having an appearance that would repel most humans in this world. His father didn't count, he couldn't see. And Karai was, well, Karai. She wasn't entirely sane anyway.

Karai. She had known about them. Hadn't she?

"Karai," he whispered, not daring to take his eyes off _them_ , afraid that _they_ would disappear forever if he did so. "Is this real?"

"Leo," Karai told him slowly, and her voice was so full of regret and sorrow that Leonardo didn't need her to end her sentence to know what she was going to say, "I never intended for you to learn about it that way."

Leonardo didn't answer. He knew he should probably be angry at her; maybe he would be, later.

For now, the only emotion filling his body and soul was bewilderment.

And a tiny, tiny speck of hope.

One of _them_ moved, shyly, carefully, as if he was made of glass and could be broken any instant. He was the shortest of the three, and was wearing an orange mask with short tails. He had been holding nunchucks one minute earlier. A ninja? Obviously, a ninja.

"Hi," the orange apparition whispered, in a voice impossibly happy and cracked at the same time. "I'm Michelangelo. But please, please. Call me Mikey."

* * *

At first, Michelangelo had thought that the Leonardo he had in front of him was the one he had met months ago, mysteriously reappeared in their world.

But his voice was different. His stance was different. And his eyes, his eyes – they had the same color, a beautiful deep blue – but the emotions in them were different too. They were showing on the surface, mirroring on his face, and such astonishment couldn't be faked.

It couldn't be the Leonardo he had met, the one who already had three brothers.

And if he wasn't that Leonardo, then he had to be…

_Mine. My brother. Mine._

Michelangelo didn't consider himself to be a possessive turtle. He had always shared his toys and comic books with Donatello and Raphael, introduced friends to friends and talked about his life with everyone willing to listen down to the very last detail.

So he wasn't prepared for the feelings he was experiencing now.

Something – someone – had been taken from him, and for years he hadn't even known it. Hadn't even missed it.

How can you miss something you never had? Someone you don't even remember?

Only for the last few months had he been grieving – because he had finally learned the truth, and been given a taste of what could have been.

And now, the universe had given him back his lost brother.

Michelangelo knew next to nothing about said brother right now, but it didn't matter.

From now on, he, Michelangelo, would protect _his_ Leonardo like he should have been protected all those years ago.

* * *

"I'm Leonardo," Leonardo answered carefully, surprised that the words could go past the lump in his throat. "You can call me Leo… Mikey."

The orange-clad turtle – _turtle_ \- in front of him choked back a sob, and his left neighbor, a turtle too, but taller, with a jacket and a purple mask and who had been holding a bo staff – he was a ninja, he was a ninja too – put an arm around his shoulders.

"And I'm Donatello, or Donnie," the purple-clad turtle said, his voice full of unshed tears.

* * *

Donatello's mind was racing like crazy, completely detached from his emotions.

This turtle in front of him looked like the Leonardo he had met.

Fact.

He hadn't his voice.

Fact.

This Leonardo was his own brother…

Not a fact. A hope, a guess, a desire.

Not a fact.

How could an infant turtle have survived a flood in the sewers?

Impossible.

Where would he have spent the past decade-and-a-half? Who would have taken care of him?

This couldn't be true, this couldn't be happening.

But Michelangelo was talking, and that Leonardo was answering that he was, in fact, a Leonardo, and Donatello's emotions caught up with him, and he only wanted it to be true.

_Please,_ Donatello prayed to nobody in particular, _please make it true._

And because he needed proof, proof that this Leonardo wasn't a decoy or an illusion or who knew what else, Donatello slowly extended his other arm towards him until his fingertips grazed the black-clad turtle's wrist.

Real.

He was real.

Fact.

* * *

Leonardo almost started when Donatello touched him. He looked him in the eye and tried to understand what he saw.

Donatello smiled at him sheepishly and withdrew his hand. Leonardo absent-mindedly stroked his wrist. It had felt so _real_ , a proof that he wasn't dreaming.

The black-clad turtle carefully turned to the third turtle, the one who had a red bandana, had been holding sai – another ninja, how unbelievable, how amazing – and was clenching his fists right now.

"And who… who are you?" Leonardo asked him in a strangled voice.

* * *

Raphael was frozen, refusing to comprehend what was happening.

Because if he did comprehend it, if he did understand it, then he would have to open his heart to this complete stranger here, and by doing so he would give the black-clad turtle the power to hurt him.

His family was the most important, the most beautiful thing in his life.

Was he truly in front of his third, lost brother?

Raphael remembered the time he had spent with the other Raphael and his Leonardo, how they had seemed to get along so well in their rather bickering way, causing a few sparks to fly. He had tried to control his feelings, to not let it show, but he had been so jealous at the time.

And now…

Was he allowed to have a Leonardo too? Or was it only a cruel joke?

Was it even possible to have that kind of relationship with someone you hadn't grown up with?

Raphael didn't know if he wanted to shout, to cry or to laugh madly at this stupid, impossible situation.

At some point, Leonardo asked him a question, but Raphael was too busy scrutinizing him to answer; too desperate to learn as much about him as he could.

As far as Raphael could tell, he wasn't wearing any weapons. Was he even a ninja?

Maybe he was, and he belonged to the girl's clan. The mere thought made Raphael cringe. This would have been worse than anything.

Only one way to know.

* * *

"Hey!" Leonardo shouted, taken aback, when the red-clad turtle suddenly attacked him and he found himself pinned to the ground.

An instant later, Karai's blade was on the assailant's throat.

"Release him," she said menacingly.

"Raph, really?" Michelangelo exclaimed, upset, while Donatello took a step forward – to restrain _Raph_ or help him, Leonardo didn't know.

The red-clad turtle ignored all of them, his eyes set on Leonardo.

"You don't have the reflexes of a ninja," he told him, and his voice was so relieved that it made no sense at all. How could that be a good thing?

He raised his hands, slowly, and stepped backwards. Leonardo picked himself up, embarrassed, and grasped Karai's arm to prevent her from doing something stupid. The kunoichi huffed and sheathed her blade, obviously unhappy with the events but unwilling to go against her friend's will.

"I'm Raph. For Raphael. It's…uh…nice to meet you," the turtle said clumsily.

Leonardo blinked at him, perplexed. This almost sounded like an apology of some sort. The black-clad turtle nodded stiffly.

He looked at the three of them. They were so beautiful. So strong, so self-confident and graceful in the way they moved. So _ninja_ -like. So unlike him.

And yet, so much like him, like no one else in the world had been before.

He had to ask, even if he feared to hear the reply.

"And who are you… to me?" Leonardo said, no, demanded, and waited for their answer as if his life depended on it.

_Because_ his life depended on it.

"We are…" Michelangelo began, his voice full of emotion.

"…your…" Donatello went on carefully, incredulously.

"…brothers," Raphael finished in a whisper.


	7. Shock Wave

"I don't have brothers," Leonardo uttered stupidly.

_My father found me when I was but a few years old. I was all alone._

The three turtles in front of him looked shocked. Hurt, even.

Leonardo's heart tore. He tried to extract himself from his current state of shock to explain himself better.

"I mean, of course I _see_ you, but it doesn't mean… I've never… I'm an only child," he stuttered.

"Not anymore," Michelangelo retorted, sniffling.

Leonardo couldn't bear to watch his upset expression. He looked at Raphael, but the reproach on that turtle's face didn't make it any better. Leonardo's eyes jumped to Donatello, who was watching him with a calm, understanding expression. Leonardo locked eyes with him as if he was a life preserver.

"It's hard to believe, right?" The tallest turtle said softly.

"Yes," Leonardo merely said, struggling to keep a level-headed voice.

"I can check it if you want," Donatello went on. "Using DNA analysis. But I must say that I'm 99,999999% sure of the result."

Karai's eyes widened.

"You've got the equipment for that?"

"I built it," Donatello said casually, waving her remark away.

"From garbage parts," Raphael added proudly, as if he felt the need to insist on how awesome his brother was compared to the girl in front of him.

"Uh…"

Leonardo didn't know what to say. This was going too fast for him.

"I don't think it's necessary, Donnie," Michelangelo interjected.

He took a step forward so that he was right in front of Leonardo, almost brushing his plastron, and raised his head to look him in the eye.

Oh, how he wanted to hug him right now. But Leonardo seemed unsure and almost afraid, and the last thing Michelangelo wanted was to scare him off.

"Do you know where your name comes from?"

"My name?"

Leonardo watched the shorter turtle's intense expression, and his stomach tightened in knots.

"Yes. Who chose that name for you?"

"I…don't know…"

Leonardo remembered what his father had told him.

_Dad didn't know where I was from, but I could understand Japanese. He asked me what my name was, and I kept telling him 'Eo', 'Eo'. He tried all the names he and the Internet could think of until I finally brightened at 'Leonardo'…_

"It's the only thing I retain from my early childhood," Leonardo whispered, a lump in his throat.

"Then think about it," Michelangelo insisted, putting in his voice every ounce of conviction he could summon. "Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo. What do they have in common?"

_To be long, unusual names? Especially for giant mutant turtles – especially for short giant mutant turtles like you?_

Leonardo chastised himself. His brain was reacting inappropriately.

_Shut up, brain._

He tried to find an adequate answer, but his mind was suddenly blank.

Switched off.

At his side, Karai inhaled sharply.

"Renaissance artists," she whispered.

Michelangelo smiled at her for the first time tonight.

"Yes, you got it," he said.

He spoke to Leonardo again, softly, desperately.

"These are the names of our father's favorite Renaissance artists."

Leonardo gasped. He felt his head spin as that piece of his identity, the one he had been wondering about for so long, came into place.

He had to admit that these wonderful turtles in front of him – Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael - were truly his brothers.

He had to admit that he received his name at the same time they did. That they had been together before he lost them.

Which meant…

"I already have a father."

Leonardo's answer was clearly defensive, but only Karai could tell how upset her friend was at this instant. She knew how sensitive the topic was. She tried to warn the other turtles – Leonardo's brothers, as she had feared - but her widened eyes and discreet grimaces were hopelessly lost to them.

"Yes, you do," Raphael answered, tilting his head. "He's the same as ours. You can meet him as soon as we…"

And that was when Leonardo snapped. He took a step backwards and addressed the three turtles with a decade-long anger that wasn't meant for them.

"I have only one father! The one who took me in and took care of me even if he was a human and I a mutant humanoid turtle! The one who never, ever, gave me up!"

His brothers recoiled, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Leo, no," Donatello tried to tell him. "That's not how it happened!"

The purple-clad turtle took a deep breath. Leonardo was upset – well, it was no surprise. If Donatello and his brothers were at least prepared for his existence, if not for his living state, obviously Leonardo had had no clue he ever had brothers, and his world had just gone crashing down.

_Much like ours a few months ago._

Donatello went on carefully.

"We can explain it to you, if you don't want to ask Splinter directly."

_Splinter. His name his Splinter_ , Leonardo thought. But he didn't want to know, he didn't want to hear about the man who had left him to die, because how was an infant turtle supposed to take care of himself in this world?

"That's enough," Karai spat, reading her friend's turmoil on his face and upset because he was - and because it was partly her fault, too. If only she had had the chance to prepare him for this encounter…

"Can't you see what you're doing to him?"

"I don't see how that's your business," Raphael frowned. "Who are you anyway, his _sister_?"

He made the word sound as if it was distasteful, and Karai clenched her fists.

"Someone who has known him for years, unlike you!"

"Well, breaking news, we would have loved to!"

"Don't blame me if you weren't able to keep him!"

"That's _not_ how it happened," Donatello repeated, more irritated than the first time.

As Karai, Raphael and Donatello came closer to each other and began what could only be called a family quarrel at that stage, Michelangelo wished he had enough water balloons to cool them all down. They were only making matters worse. Of course everyone was upset!

And even if Michelangelo would have loved for Leonardo to immediately accept the truth, leave his actual family – he had at least a father, he had said so – and come with them, he knew that it wasn't fair to demand that from him. Not ten minutes after his long-lost brother had learned about their existence.

Michelangelo turned to Leonardo with the intent of offering him an apologetic smile, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Where is Leo?" He exclaimed, efficiently interrupting his brothers and Karai.

* * *

Leonardo had had more than enough.

He needed time to process what had happened, calm and quiet to sort out his confused feelings.

His friend and his newfound brothers weren't helping.

So when they began quarrelling with each other, he took advantage of it to momentarily disappear in the shadows.

He circled around them, wondering when – or _if_ , he thought wryly - they would notice his disappearance.

When Michelangelo did and they began freaking out, Leonardo felt a strange feeling mix with his confusion, anger and newborn hope.

Something unexpected and warm.

They did care about him, didn't they?

* * *

"I hope you're proud of what you've done," Karai spat.

"Excuse me?" Raphael shouted.

"Okay, no reason to panic," Donatello said, panicking. "Our lost brother who has been found is now lost again. But he can't be far, can he?"

"Leo!" Michelangelo shouted, running from chimney to chimney.

"Aren't you going to help?" Raphael addressed Karai, who had crossed her arms and didn't seem to have the intention to move.

"No," she answered, stubborn.

Raphael sent her an outraged look before lending Michelangelo and Donatello a helping hand.

Karai watched them while trying to discern Leonardo's figure in the shadows. In vain.

A few minutes later, Raphael threw up his hands.

"I can't believe he slipped away from us like that! How hard can it be for three ninja to find a giant non-ninja mutant turtle on a small rooftop?"

"Hard enough, apparently," Leonardo's voice rang out right behind him, and Raphael jumped.

"Leo!" The startled turtle began to protest, before thinking better of it.

Had it been a touch of humor that he had heard in Leonardo's voice?

And wait – was there a slight smile playing on Leonardo's lips?

Raphael felt his heart lift at this thought.

"Leo, don't scare us like that!" Michelangelo protested, running back to them and closely followed by a very relieved Donatello, and he would have jumped at his black-clad brother – not afraid anymore to scare him off, after all, _he_ had been the one scaring them - if Leonardo hadn't been holding their weapons.

"I think you lost that," Leonardo said, still with a slight touch of humor, and his brothers took their weapons back with embarrassed expressions.

"How did you do that?" Michelangelo asked, swirling his nunchucks absent-mindedly. "It was awesome, bro!"

Leonardo winked at him.

"You mean that a ninja like you doesn't already know?"

Michelangelo grinned, delighted because his brother was joking – _joking!_ – with him, and shook his head with strength.

Leonardo looked at him, Donatello and Raphael, and sighed.

"I'll tell you that story – and my story, too, if you want to hear it…"

Three brothers vigorously nodded.

"But not tonight. I… I need alone time right now," Leonardo went on softly. "I hope you understand."

"Of course we do, Leo," Donatello said soothingly, gagging his two brothers with his hands before they had a chance to protest.

"We'll leave you, then," Karai added.

Leonardo turned towards her.

"I said alone time, Karai. Not telling me you had found my first family? How could you?"

"I was going to tell you! I was just waiting for the right time and place!"

"As if such things existed," Raphael muttered behind Donatello's hand. He hadn't liked the 'first'.

_We are your family, Leo. Period._

Michelangelo wriggled away from Donatello's arm and took a step forward, folding his fingers under his chin.

"Alright, Leo, but at least give us your phone number!"

Donatello raised his eye ridges.

"Mikey, I don't think Leo has…"

"I do have a cell phone," Leonardo interrupted him.

He brought out the item in question, ready to grant Michelangelo's reasonable request.

"Next time, I'll bring you something better," Donatello whispered, more to himself than to Leonardo. "Something more up-to-date and safer. And there are a few items you might need as well… Hmm…"

Leonardo looked quizzically at him, but Donatello was already lost in thought.

"So… goodnight, then," he said clumsily.

He wasn't sure that it was an appropriate way to part with his three newfound brothers, but he couldn't think of anything better.

"Goodnight, Leo," Donatello told him.

"Have sweet dreams!" Michelangelo chirped.

"See you tomorrow," Raphael answered casually, and it didn't look like the promise it was.

Leonardo exchanged a quick glance with Karai before turning away. The kunoichi seemed hurt, and it made Leonardo feel guilty.

_She's the one who keeps hiding important facts from me,_ he tried to convince himself.

Leonardo made it to his father's noodle shop in record time – he was beginning to be really, _really_ late - and took his keys.

To be honest, he was a little disappointed that his brothers hadn't asked him where he lived nor if it was far away.

"A noodle shop?" Someone whispered not-so-discreetly from the alleyway nearby. "He lives in a noodle shop? Awesome!"

"Shut up, Mikey, he'll hear you," a gruff voice said, and Leonardo couldn't help rolling his eyes and grinning stupidly at the door.

Three brothers…

And he had been an only child for so long…

It might take him some time to adjust, but Leonardo was willing to rise to the challenge.

As long as they didn't ask him to meet _their_ father.


	8. Daddy Issues

Murakami was beginning to get worried. He and his son had agreed upon a you-must-imperatively-be-home deadline, and it was well passed by now.

Should he call him? But what if he was in the middle of something more dangerous than Murakami would have liked, or simply too close to humans to answer?

The blind cook clasped his hands together. He hoped that nothing bad had happened to his son. It wasn't as if he could call the police or bring him to a hospital…

Certainly there was no reason to think about a hospital. But somehow, none of the scenarios going through his parental mind was reassuring.

The sound of keys being turned in the door's lock almost made him jump. Murakami hurried to the kitchen, sat on one of the stools and crossed his arms, ready to properly welcome his son.

Leonardo quickly entered and closed the door. Murakami heard him sigh heavily before he turned around and began heading for his bedroom.

In the total darkness, he hadn't noticed his father. Perfect.

"Leonardo," Murakami said as his son passed next to him, startling the poor turtle.

"Father! You're awake? I'm sorry, I…"

Murakami could hear the sudden panic in his voice. He put it down to the fact that his son had just been caught green-handed.

"I thought we agreed," the blind cook told Leonardo severely, hiding his relief at having his son back home in one piece. No, he hadn't been captured, nor killed and left to rot in the streets, nor… Murakami shook his head, chasing the horrible thoughts away. "Under no circumstances are you allowed to come home late."

"I know, but tonight was…"

Leonardo abruptly shut up.

"Under no circumstances, Leonardo," Murakami insisted.

"Yes, Father," the turtle whispered. "Can I… can I go to my room now?"

Murakami hesitated. Something in Leonardo's defeated tone set off his sensitive parental alarm. He reached for his son and found his face, which he delicately cupped into his hands. To his surprise and immediate dismay, Leonardo's cheeks were damp.

"Leonardo, are you alright?"

"Yes," Leonardo said. "No. I don't know…"

He choked.

"Dad, I don't know…"

Murakami gathered him in his thick arms. Leonardo immediately buried himself in his father's embrace.

"Tell me what happened," Murakami ordered him as softly as he could, and Leonardo did.

Murakami listened silently to his son's incredible tale, hugging him tighter as the events unfolded in his head.

"Oh, my son," he whispered when Leonardo was done. "Don't worry. I'll always be there for you."

* * *

Splinter listened to the sounds of his sons entering the lair.

Donatello's quiet steps, Raphael's stealthy walk turning into stomping as soon as he jumped the turnstiles, Michelangelo's dancing gait.

His three sons were home.

The ninja master sighed in deep relief. Now he just had to wait until one of them – probably Donatello – came in and told him what had happened tonight, if anything out of the ordinary had happened at all.

But nobody came, and Splinter frowned. The lair was silent now, as if his sons had just frozen on the spot.

Splinter stood up and came closer to the dojo entrance.

One glance and he immediately knew that something huge had happened.

His three sons were hugging each other silently, tears in their eyes – even Raphael wasn't trying to fight his emotions for once, and that unsettled his father more than anything else.

"My sons?" he asked tentatively. "What happened? Has someone been hurt?"

Who could it be? His sons seemed uninjured. April, maybe? Or Casey? Perhaps Leatherhead?

Donatello turned towards his father and wiped his tears away.

"Father," he told him very, very gently. "We have to talk."

Splinter's pulse raced. Donatello's serious tone, his gentleness and his upset state combined to increase his father's concern to a rarely reached level when none of his sons were hurt or in danger.

"Of course, my son," he told him ever-so-calmly, leading the three of them to the dojo where the whole family knelt – his sons a lot closer to each other than they usually did, with Michelangelo between Raphael and Donatello and hugging both of them without regard for dojo etiquette.

Splinter waited for them to talk to him. It took all his ninja training not to pry whatever revelation they had to make out of them, but he managed it.

"I…" Donatello began. "I don't know how to tell you this, I don't think there is a good way to do it, but you have to know that… that…"

Donatello's hands were clasping his knees so fiercely that his knuckles were entirely white.

"… against all odds, and as unbelievable as it seems…"

Splinter was hanging onto his every word, wishing he would go straight to the point.

"…it took me entire _minutes_ to accept it…"

Raphael must have been wishing the same thing as his father, because he brutally interjected.

"Leonardo is back."

Splinter looked at him, his lack of understanding making him frown.

"Is he? I thought he had come back to his home world for good. Did something happen to him or his family?"

"Not that Leonardo," Michelangelo said, speaking for the first time and interrupting his father. Which did nothing to appease Splinter's fears – he was very strict about courtesy, especially in the dojo, and his sons almost never cut him short. " _Our_ Leonardo."

"What do you mean?" Splinter's fists clenched despite his best efforts to keep them on check.

"He's not dead… Father… Your fourth son is alive," Donatello finally managed to say, his voice shaking unashamedly.

Splinter gazed at him, then at the shrine they had built. What his sons were saying made no sense.

His Leonardo. His baby turtle. Alive?

"We met him tonight, Sensei," Raphael continued. "He's… somehow in touch with the kunoichi we told you about… except he's not a ninja himself…"

"Although he has excellent stealth abilities," Donatello amended.

"We talked to him," Michelangelo whispered. "We told him…"

"…that we were his brothers and…" Donatello went on.

"…at first he refused to believe it, but in the end he did, he really did…" Raphael completed, more tears going down his proud cheeks.

"I have his phone number," Michelangelo murmured, before burying his face in Raphael's plastron and letting out a strangled sob.

Because it sounded so absurd, even for Splinter's most nonsense-loving son.

"Leonardo," Splinter whispered, understanding finally dawning in him. "My son, alive. How?"

"We don't know yet," Donatello answered, closing his eyes. "But he promised to tell us."

Splinter's feelings were raging inside him. His grief, his anger, his guilt. His love for the son he had lost.

"Where is he now?" The ninja master demanded. He wouldn't truly, completely believe it until he saw Leonardo with his very own eyes, until he held him close in his very own arms. _My baby._ "Why didn't you bring him here?"

His three sons exchanged an upset glance.

"He… he doesn't want to see you," Donatello confessed, wringing his hands. "I'm sorry, Father, we tried to tell him what happened, but he refused to listen. He said he needed to be alone, and I'm sorry, we really tried, but it was just so… so confusing, and…"

Splinter couldn't bear to hear the pain in his son's voice, and he bent over, reaching out for the three of them and pulling them into a tight hug.

"It's not your fault, my beautiful, beloved sons," he whispered to them. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing, do you hear me?"

Splinter closed his eyes and began rocking them. Trying to prevent his thoughts from shredding his heart.

_But I did. I did when I gave up on you and left you all alone… Oh, Leonardo… Will you ever forgive me?_

* * *

Karai entered the Foot headquarters with a heavy heart.

She was hurt.

Maybe it was because Leonardo had wanted to be alone, and therefore had rejected her silent offer for support.

Of course, it wasn't really surprising that Leonardo would be angry with her. To be fair, she had expected him to be far harsher.

_He's still shell-shocked._

Karai had no doubt that her friend would forgive her eventually. The two of them were too close to each other for him to reject her completely. She knew she had his loyalty, no matter what.

Or maybe Karai was hurt because Leonardo had found his long-lost family.

Three brothers, and a father – whom he didn't want to see right now, but Karai knew that this would pass.

Leonardo had always wanted to learn about his past.

It might take some time, but eventually his curiosity would overcome his anger. And he would get to know his first father – the one who had given him his name.

But she, Karai, would never get to know her mother.

Because Tang Shen had been murdered by the treacherous Hamato Yoshi when Karai was only a baby.

As always, she felt her blood boil at the thought that someone had cold-bloodedly killed her young mother.

What was worse, that man – if he could be called that – was still alive. Her father, Oroku Saki, had thought at first that he was dead in the fire of his home, but the body had never been found.

One day, Karai would find him and avenge herself.

"Karai."

Karai raised her head towards her father, the Shredder, who had obviously been waiting for her.

"Bradford told me that you weren't with him tonight. Where have you been?"

Karai closed her eyes. She had completely forgotten about that. After she had parted with Leonardo, she had wandered aimlessly on the rooftops in the hope of calming her agitated mind. Instead of taking care of Foot business like she should have been.

She bowed as low as she could.

"I stayed at the mutant hideout longer than I had intended. But it was worth it. The mutants are beginning to trust me now. Next time, I believe they will tell me everything we need to know."

"Was the turtle mutant useful to you?"

"Yes," Karai said, still bowing.

"Very well. But you still neglected your duties. Therefore, you will go to Bradford tomorrow and take whatever punishment he sees fit. And you will patrol under his orders every night for the following week."

Karai suddenly straightened up.

"But Father!"

Shredder glared at her, and she quickly bowed again.

"Do not discuss my orders, child."

Karai grimaced. Bradford would be all-too-happy to give her a hard time. He hated her because she was the only person in the world that the Shredder truly loved.

"I'll obey, Father."

"You better would."

Karai waited to be dismissed, but her father was still looking at her with a threatening expression.

"I hope you told me everything about your whereabouts tonight, Karai," he slowly said.

Karai looked at him as innocently as she could. She had perfected her expression over the years, and she believed that even a ninja master couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

_Leo always can, but he's a lot closer to me than anyone else. At least he was until tonight._

"Yes, Father. I did."


	9. Ripple Effect

Murakami was focusing on his two first customers, trying to guess as much as he could about them by hearing.

Behind the door which led to his private quarters, he knew that Leonardo was doing the same.

It was a game he often played with his son. They would compare their impressions later and in case of disagreement, try to convince the other using more or less relevant arguments. It usually ended in a shared fit of laughter.

Both father and son appreciated the comfort offered by this familiar game – especially today.

Today, Murakami had officially opened his noodle shop. He was nervous – even if he had reorganized the kitchen in the same way as his old one, a few things had to be different and it unsettled him.

Not to mention that Leonardo's revelations had been quite stunning.

His son had brothers. Mutant turtles like him. Murakami rejoiced at the news – he knew how much Leonardo had felt lonely at being the only one of his kind.

Leonardo had also discovered that he had another father, which upset him a lot. Murakami had tried to comfort his son, but he wasn't sure that he had succeeded.

Leonardo was outright refusing to hear about his first father. Murakami didn't think that it was healthy, but he wasn't going to push him.

His mutant son would have to come to terms with his past in his own time.

The blind cook himself was rather curious about that mysterious father, and he felt only compassion toward him.

Losing a child was always a tragedy.

Holding back a sigh, Murakami turned his attention back to his two customers. A girl and a boy, probably in their teenage years. Maybe a couple, but he wasn't too sure about it.

"Is everything to your taste?"

"Yes, Murakami-san," the girl answered. She was nice and polite, and Murakami had immediately decided that he liked her.

"This is delicious! You've got some serious talent here, dude!"

Murakami heard a soft bump – maybe a nudge, it was hard to tell - and the boy hurriedly corrected himself.

"I mean, Murakami-san. You've got some serious talent here, Murakami-san."

The girl sighed, and the blind chef hid a smile. The boy wasn't quite as polite or well-behaved as the girl, but he was enthusiastic. This was a quality that Murakami could appreciate.

"Do you need anything else?" Murakami asked when they were finished.

"No, thank you," the girl answered.

They had already paid for their meal, so he expected them to say goodbye and leave. Instead, they remained seated and waited in awkward silence.

The blind cook raised his eyebrows.

"Is there any problem?" He asked softly.

"No, no!" The girl uneasily answered. "There is no problem, absolutely not. It's just that…uh…"

She nervously twitched her fingers, somehow unable or unwilling to continue.

Instead of asking her another question or trying to complete her sentence, Murakami patiently waited for the teenage girl to find her words. That strategy always worked with his son. Maybe it would work with her too.

After a while, the girl went on. Her tone was extremely cautious.

"We have friends. Special friends…"

"Verrry special friends," the boy added. "They are too self-conscious to come here themselves on a nice, luminous day like this one, because they are…uh… rather ugly…"

Another soft bump.

"What?" The boy whispered to his partner, obviously convinced that Murakami couldn't hear. "You said to find an excuse!"

"You could have found something else!" The girl whispered back.

Murakami repressed a chuckle and smiled at them both.

"I am blind. Physical appearance isn't something I take into account."

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry," the boy answered sheepishly. "But there are other people in the streets who aren't as open-minded as you are, and my friends are really, really... uh… different… Avoiding sun light gives their skin a rather greenish hue, you see… But maybe you have similar problems in your own family? I mean, if you could see your family's skin, that is… But of course you can't… Uh… Ouch!"

That third bump had been louder.

"Casey, just shut up and let me do the talking!" The girl hissed.

When she was sure that the boy had listened to her wise advice, she went on.

"Anyway, these _not-ugly-at-all_ friends have asked us a favor. They have met… your son… recently."

Murakami inhaled sharply and raised his hands, ready to deny that he had a son. Surely there was a mistake. The girl must have understood his intent because she quickly continued.

"No, no! Please don't be afraid! We are friends. I… I am April, and although I haven't met your son, I assure you that I would never do him any harm. Anyway…"

The girl put something on the counter.

"Can you… can you give this to Leo?"

Murakami stayed frozen for a few seconds. Obviously, these two humans knew about his son. Were they friends with his newfound brothers?

_News travels fast_ , the blind cook thought.

He took a deep breath. His intuition had never failed him, and it was telling him that the girl was sincere. And if so…

"Maybe you could give it to him yourselves," Murakami said. "I'm sure he will want to meet you."

* * *

Behind his door, Leonardo jerked. Had he really heard his father say that?

The turtle hurriedly stood up – he had been lying on the floor in the hope of catching sight of the newcomers through the door's slit – and dusted himself. He rushed to the cupboard and took a few candles, which he lit carefully.

A few seconds later, the door hesitantly opened, and two curious heads appeared. One was red-haired and belonged to a teenage girl, and the other had black hair and – was it a hockey mask? How strange.

"Hello?" The girl called tentatively.

Leonardo cleared his throat and stepped forward so that the two humans could see him.

"Hello," he answered softly. "Uh… welcome."

"Leo!"

The girl rushed to him and hugged him, much to the turtle's surprise. Leonardo tensed and she sheepishly released him.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just… You already look familiar, and… Oh my gosh, I'm becoming far too impulsive."

"It's okay," Leonardo reassured her. "It's just that I'm not used to be hugged by perfect strangers."

The red-haired girl blushed. Next to her, the boy smiled at him.

"Hi, Leo," the boy said next. "I'm Casey, and this is April. We are friends."

Leonardo motioned for them to sit. He was feeling uneasy at being the center of their attention. He crossed his arms and tried not to look too defensive.

"So…uh… how did you learn about my existence?"

April smiled eagerly at him.

"Your brothers' fault. You have no idea how hard it was to take my exams this morning!"

"You look a lot like the other Leo," Casey remarked. "And at the same time you're very different."

"The _other_ Leo?" Leonardo asked. It was the second time that someone mentioned him.

"Yes. It's an amazing story, but maybe we can keep it for another time… I mean… What do you already know?" April answered.

Leonardo considered the question.

"Next to nothing," he anwered truthfully.

April laughed nervously.

"This is all new to you, right? Maybe I shouldn't have come, but I was too curious!"

April looked apologetically at him.

"Really, April, there is no problem," Leonardo said, smiling at her and Casey. "I'm surprised, of course, but rather glad. It's easy to get bored during daytime."

She looked relieved, while Casey grinned at him.

"Tell me more about you," Leonardo asked them, leaning excitedly forward. "I want to know everything. Beginning with how you met three giant mutant turtles."

Hours later, when April and Casey finally departed after what would remain like one of the most entertaining afternoons Leonardo had known, the turtle already knew that he had adopted these two as his friends.

"See you later, then," April smiled at him.

"And remember, you have to show me how you throw a punch," Casey added. "Considering it's a girl who taught you."

April looked disapprovingly at him and he raised his hands defensively.

"Not that girls can't throw punches properly… That's not at all what I meant…"

April raised an eyebrow and Casey fell silent, nervously stroking his hair.

Leonardo rolled his eyes at their antics.

"See you later," he told them.

April was nearly outside when she suddenly stopped.

"Wait! I almost forgot…"

She gave him a small rectangular package.

"This is for you."

* * *

Left alone, Leonardo carefully undid the wrapping paper, folding it in a small rectangle. Then he opened his gift.

It was a brand new cell phone, designed to look like a turtle cell. There was a card with it.

_Until we meet again. It's waterproof, fall-proof and Mikey-proof. Although I'm only 99% sure of the last one._

It was only signed ' _D_ '.

Leonardo grinned and eagerly switched it on.

Thirteen missed calls and two hundred twenty-seven texts, mostly from Michelangelo.

So that was why they hadn't called him yet!

Besides, contacts were already registered in his new phone. There were his three brothers, April, Casey, and a few names he didn't recognize, like Leatherhead.

_I wonder who that guy is._

There was even Murakami's noodle shop phone number. Leonardo was touched by the kind thought. He quickly added his father's private number and changed the caller ID to ' _Dad_ '.

Then he made himself comfortable on his bed, ready to listen to and read his messages and wondering what other surprises New York City had in store for him.

So far, it had offered him three brothers and two new friends. It was a pretty good start.

But someone was missing. Someone who had been with him almost from the start. No matter what, that someone would always be an important part of his life.

Biting his lip, Leonardo added a contact for Karai.


	10. Not Out of the Woods

"Do you think he will be there?" Michelangelo asked anxiously for the seventh time in a row. "Maybe he has changed his mind. Maybe he doesn't want to see us."

"He said he would be there," Raphael retorted. "Why would he let us down?"

"I don't know. Maybe he prefers hanging out with Karai," Michelangelo answered sadly.

Raphael grunted at the thought.

"Mikey, don't worry," Donatello soothed his orange-clad brother. "If he didn't want to see us, don't you think he would have told us straight away?"

"Do you think so?" Michelangelo perked up. Then he took his T-phone. "But just in case, I'll check it with him."

Raphael exchanged an amused glance with Donatello. Michelangelo had sent so many texts to his brother today that it was a good thing he had his new specially designed phone – and its extended memory.

"He's saying he'll be there!" Michelangelo exclaimed delightedly, as if it was the first time. "And that he will be happy to hang out with us!"

"Didn't he already say that the sixth previous times?" Raphael said ironically.

Michelangelo expertly ignored him.

"At least we know Leo is patient," Donatello remarked, rubbing Michelangelo's head fondly.

Michelangelo stuck his tongue out at him, but he wasn't really irritated. Tonight, he was going to hang out with his long-lost brother. Nothing in the world could have spoilt his good mood.

* * *

"Thanks again for the phone, Donnie," Leonardo said. "It's a true work of art."

He was sitting on the edge of the building where he had met his brothers yesterday – was it only yesterday? Michelangelo was on his right, Donatello was on his left and Raphael was standing behind them, on the lookout for potential trouble.

Donatello blushed slightly at the compliment.

"It's nothing," he murmured.

"Don't be so shy, Donnie," Michelangelo chirped before speaking to Leonardo. "And you still haven't seen everything it can do. Like, have you any idea what happens when you say 'T-phone, self dest'-mmmgn!"

Raphael had quietly but firmly silenced his orange-clad brother before he could finish the triggering sentence. Donatello sent him a grateful look.

Leonardo raised an eye ridge.

"And what happens?"

"It explodes," Michelangelo managed to say, freeing himself from Raphael's grasp for a few seconds. "It's so awes-mgnnn!"

"It also has an emergency button," Donatello explained. "In case you need our help. It's using the T-phone tracking system, but I've disabled it for now. Here, you can activate it by choosing this option."

Leonardo watched his brother show him his phone options, feeling impressed. Obviously, Donatello was way clever than him.

"How did you learn to make this?" Leonardo finally asked. "It's not like you could go to school."

"For the main part, I'm a self-taught turtle," Donatello answered. "It helps that I'm a genius."

From his tone, it was plain that he wasn't boasting.

Leonardo nodded.

"And what are your hidden talents?" He asked Michelangelo and Raphael. "I'm curious."

"Well, Mikey here can make a mess in less time than you would need to say 'ninja'…" Raphael answered.

"And Raph here can destroy things without even thinking about it," Michelangelo shot back.

Donatello rolled his eyes and Leonardo smiled.

Michelangelo winked at him.

"Apart from what Raph just said, I guess you could say I'm a good cook."

"Really?" Leonardo exclaimed. "I can cook too. This being said, it's mainly because my father is the most patient man in the world."

"Murakami?" Michelangelo said, tilting his head. "And how does he… you know, considering he's…"

Leonardo narrowed his eyes at him and Michelangelo abruptly shut up, blushing.

"April and Casey told us that your father is blind," Donatello came to his shortest brother's rescue. "It's all the more impressive that he's running a noodle shop."

"And that he raised a mutant ninja turtle," Raphael added grumpily. "By the way, you promised to tell us this story."

Leonardo dangled his legs absent-mindedly.

"I don't know much. One day, he found me in Tokyo's harbor. At first, he thought I was a lost child, but when he understood that I wasn't human, he took me in and raised me as his own son."

"New York-Tokyo is no short trip for an infant mutant turtle," Donatello whispered. "Do you remember how you arrived there?"

Leonardo shook his head.

"No. I've tried, but… I have no memories before my father's noodle shop."

He noticed the dejected expressions of his brothers and bit his lip.

"I'm sorry," he added softly. "That I don't remember you."

"It's okay," Michelangelo said sadly. "We don't either."

He looked so forlorn that Leonardo tentatively put an arm around his shoulders. Michelangelo immediately leaned against him and rested his head in the crook of his brother's neck. Leonardo could feel the scales of Michelangelo's shell on his arm and his brother's snout against his skin was tickling him. He wasn't used to hugging a fellow turtle – in fact, except his father and on very, very rare occasions, Karai, he wasn't used to hugging people.

It felt nice.

From the corner of his eye, Leonardo saw Donatello's envious expression and he extended his other arm in an inviting gesture. His tall brother didn't need to be asked twice and curled up so that he could comfortably nestle against Leonardo's shell.

Then Leonardo glanced at Raphael, who was watching them with an inscrutable expression.

He was in a dilemma.

He had only two arms, and three brothers.

What was he supposed to do?

"I'm not a teddy bear," Raphael mumbled, as if he had read Leonardo's thoughts.

Michelangelo muttered something under his breath and for a few seconds he reluctantly left Leonardo's embrace so that he could yank his red-clad brother's belt, forcing him to come closer and almost sending the four of them over the edge.

"Mikey," Donatello said in a tone that wasn't half as reproachful as it should have been, because he was focused on enjoying Leonardo's hug.

"You little…" Raphael began, but he didn't finish his sentence and instead collapsed against Michelangelo and pretended to punch him.

And if his left arm landed on Leonardo's shell and stayed there, it was by sheer accident.

A phone beeped.

None of them moved.

It beeped again.

"Mikey, your phone is beeping," Donatello said.

"Mmm," Michelangelo mumbled.

He was perfectly comfortable right now, and he had no intention to move.

Raphael sighed and took Michelangelo's phone.

"Our order has been delivered," he said, looking at it. "I'll fetch it."

"Your order?"

Michelangelo shifted so that he could look Leonardo in the eye. His expression was so serious that Leonardo couldn't help feeling anxious. Whatever his brother had to say now had to be extremely important.

"Leo, do you like pizza?"

* * *

It turned out that Leonardo had never eaten pizza before, much to Michelangelo's dismay.

Fortunately, the orange-clad turtle had ordered enough different pizzas so that Leonardo could form his own opinion on the awesomeness of pizza in general, and to his brothers' greatest relief, he shared their own.

"This is delicious!" He exclaimed between two mouthfuls, or maybe during one – but his brothers couldn't have cared less.

Then they exchanged their stories in more detail – cautiously avoiding the 'Splinter' topic - and an amazed Leonardo finally learned about the other Leonardo and his family.

"And you said the four of them grow up together? And that he was a ninja?" He asked dreamily.

"Yep," Michelangelo answered. "And a very good one at that."

Leonardo looked melancholic.

Raphael exchanged a glance with his brothers before coughing.

"Next time, and if you want," he began hesitantly, "we could show you a few moves. Ninja turtle style."

Leonardo perked up, his eyes gleaming. He tried to keep a nonchalant tone.

"Really? I mean, yes, why not."

Then he turned away and pretended to look at the scenery while his brothers gave themselves a high three behind his back.

When the last slice of pizza had disappeared, Raphael deposited the empty boxes in a garbage can before motioning for his three brothers to follow him.

Leonardo noticed Donatello and Michelangelo's excited expressions, and he narrowed his eyes.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Come on, Leo," Michelangelo exclaimed, pulling him by the arm. "It's a surprise."

* * *

Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello led their brother to an alleyway. As far as Leonardo could tell, it wasn't any different from every other alleyway in the city, but his brothers were exchanging strange glances. He looked quizzically at them.

"This is where you were truly born," Donatello said softly, intensely. "According to…" He paused, considering his next words carefully. "Family lore, the four of us were mutated from pet turtles to humanoid turtles in that alleyway. Our DNA is a mix of turtle DNA and human DNA."

Suddenly, the whole place took an entirely different dimension for Leonardo.

"How?" He asked, a lump in his throat.

"We were sprayed with mutagen, a biologically reactive substance from an alien dimension," Donatello answered.

"Our pet turtles selves were born in a pet shop," Michelangelo added. "Then Fa… uh… someone bought us. But he never made it home safely with us. After this alleyway, we were changed forever…"

Leonardo watched each of them in turn, not knowing what to say, not understanding the strong emotions swirling in his head.

"Human DNA," he managed to say, even if he wasn't sure that he wanted to know. "From who?"

Raphael crossed his arms. If Leonardo asked, then it was time to give him a straight answer.

"From the last human who touched us. Our father, Hamato Yoshi."

* * *

" _Hamato Yoshi?_ "

Leonardo had taken a good two minutes to comment Raphael's last sentence, but now he was choking on the words.

Michelangelo came closer to him and put his hand on Leonardo's arm.

"Yes. You're a Hamato, Leo."

Leonardo was watching him with a desperate expression that his orange-clad brother didn't understand. He felt concern rise in his chest.

"And he's…" Leonardo's voice sounded even more upset than when they had first met him, and Donatello and Raphael were beginning to worry too. "He's a born New Yorker, right?"

"Oh, no," Donatello shook his head. "He's Japanese."

"The Hamato clan was a renowned ninja clan in its time," Raphael said. "But it all ended when the Shredder…"

Leonardo suddenly took a step backwards, his expression shifting from distress to plain fear.

"Leo?" Michelangelo asked desperately. "Is there a problem?"

* * *

Leonardo didn't want to believe what he had just heard, but his brothers seemed dead serious. He felt colder than he had ever been, his whole body shivering because his mind had already begun to analyze the repercussions of this new revelation.

Hamato. The name was all too familiar to Leonardo. He was linked to one of his worst memories, the only time he had really been afraid of his best friend Karai.

They were talking about their past and how they were both missing at least one parent, and suddenly Karai's face had turned to ice and steel, and she had spoken words of revenge that still rang to Leonardo's ears.

"I'm going to kill him. One day, I'm going to kill Hamato Yoshi for what he has done to my mother. I swear it!"

He had never seen her like that, and it had frightened him.

"But how will it make you feel better?" He had nonetheless managed to ask. "It won't bring you mom back."

"Blood calls for blood," she had answered without passion. "This is a matter of honor."

Leonardo hadn't understood what honor had to do with murder, but he hadn't dared to insist.

And now he had learned that he was, in fact, Hamato Yoshi's _son_.

Along with the three turtles in front of him.

Karai's rage, her hatred…

He didn't, couldn't believe that she would take her revenge on him.

But on his brothers?

And even if she spared them, what about the rest of the Foot clan? Leonardo didn't know the details, but he knew they were dangerous, and not above breaking the law.

And Karai's father, the Shredder…

Leonardo had only met him once, and the tall and armored man had barely spared a look at him, but the memory still made him shiver.

His eyes had been so _lifeless_ , so _cold_.

At the time, he had been grateful to be ignored by him. But what would happen once he learned that Leonardo was the son of his worst enemy?

Leonardo didn't think that Karai's father was beyond killing him in cold blood, even if he would never have acknowledged it to her.

Which meant he wouldn't hesitate to kill his brothers too.

Leonardo closed his eyes, fighting his tears.

_Oh, Mikey. Donnie. Raph. I'm so sorry._

* * *

Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael were looking at Leonardo with more and more concern.

"What's the matter, Leo?" Donatello insisted.

Leonardo snapped his eyes open. They were more fierce than his brothers had ever seen them, and the three turtles couldn't help stepping backwards.

"You have to go away."

" _What?_ " Three incredulous voices chorused.

"I'm sorry," Leonardo continued, his throat awfully dry. "But it's not going to work."

"Leo, what the shell?" Raphael shouted.

"Just go away!" Leonardo shouted back at the top of his voice. "And stay away from Karai. Don't… don't go near her. Or me. Do you understand?"

"Leo…" Donatello whispered, horrified.

"You can't," Michelangelo protested.

Leonardo took his brand new cell phone and threw it at Donatello. His brother caught it with a distraught expression.

"I won't need this anymore."

Donatello choked, and Michelangelo shook his head in denial while Raphael seemed to want to talk despite his fists clenched in anger.

Leonardo watched their shocked and determined expressions, understanding that they weren't going to just give up on him.

He wished he could explain the truth to them – but he couldn't. They would never believe him, and sooner or later it would be their end.

So he took his most convincing poker face – the one he had learned from Karai – and forced the horrendous words past his lips.

"I don't want you in my life," he shouted again. "I don't need you. You're nothing to me! Did you really think I would welcome you back? I already have everything I need!"

With every word, he could see his brothers become paler and more upset. Tears were going down Michelangelo's and Donatello's cheeks. But they were still staying.

So Leonardo stabbed them deeper.

"You're just a bunch of detestable freaks. I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

And finally, it was too much for them, and they ran away from him, but not without Raphael had sent him a heartbroken glare and Donatello was looking at him with a harrowing stunned expression, his eyes glistening, and Michelangelo, oh, Michelangelo was the worst, with his teary puppy-dog eyes begging Leonardo to stop, begging him to tell them that it was only a nightmare…

Then it was over and they were gone.

"Farewell," Leonardo whispered, before dropping to his knees and hiding his head in his arms, sobbing.

In a corner of his rational mind, he knew he should leave this scene too – maybe his shouts had attracted unwanted attention.

But right now, he couldn't have cared less.

Losing his brothers again – losing them like _that_ – was even more painful than the terrible truth. But there was no escaping it.

Because his biological father was a murderer.


	11. Drastic Remedy

Leonardo didn't know how he had managed to come back home, but he did. The pain had receded. He was mostly feeling numb now.

_I thought I had a new family, but it was only an empty promise._

His biological father had sealed his fate when he had murdered Tang Shen.

If he hadn't, then the Oroku would have had no reason to take revenge on the Hamato. Leonardo could have got to know his brothers, could have shared his time with them and Karai.

_If he hadn't, I would never have been compelled to tell my brothers all those horrible things so that they would stay safe._

And still, Leonardo didn't hate this unknown father. He was feeling angry, and he didn't understand, but he wasn't hateful. Hatred was a poison he refused to feed his soul.

_What am I going to tell Karai? Will she think lower of me if she learns the truth?_

He hoped she wouldn't. He didn't think he could bear to lose her, too.

As he opened the door, Leonardo still hadn't come up with a good excuse to explain to his father why he was home early. Maybe he could just say that he was feeling sick and head straight for bed.

He certainly wasn't in the mood for a conversation.

However and as he soon discovered it, fate had other plans for him.

* * *

In his father's kitchen sat not only his father – this wouldn't have been surprising – but also three teenage mutant ninja turtles.

Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael.

Leonardo froze, speechless. What were his brothers doing here?

None of them said a word, merely looking at him with reproachful expressions. Leonardo glanced at his father, trying to guess what he was thinking, but Murakami's face was unreadable.

"Why are you here?" Leonardo finally said, the words tasting bitter in his mouth.

After his earlier outburst, he had hoped that they would stay miles away from him. Had he hurt them – and himself - in vain?

"We were waiting for you," Raphael answered, his tone harsh.

"Why would you, after what I said?" Leonardo clarified.

"Because it makes no sense," Donatello took over.

His tone was carefully neutral, with only the slightest trembling.

"Your reaction was the complete opposite of everything you said and did before. Besides, April confirmed that you cared about us when she spoke with you, and she is excellent at reading people. And your puffy eyes are proof that you at least feel some regret. That or you were hit with blinding powder."

"My eyes aren't… You told April what happened?"

Leonardo frowned. Somehow, he didn't like the thought of the caring red-haired girl learning about what he had done. But of course, it made sense that Donatello would have called her.

Donatello didn't bother to answer. He continued his speech, looking very much like a professor.

"So I wondered if perhaps you're suffering from a form of bipolarity."

"I'm not sick!"

"Well, excuse us for trying to find you excuses," Raphael spat. "Not that I think you deserve it."

"Which is why," Donatello stubbornly went on, "we came to your father to ask him that very question."

"And," Raphael added, his eyes glaring at Leonardo like green embers, "he told us that to the best of his knowledge, you didn't suffer from any physical or mental disease. Which means that you are accountable for your actions. So what do you have to say for your defense?"

Leonardo gritted his teeth. And he had thought that the worst was over.

"I have nothing to add to what I already said," he murmured.

"At least explain your sudden change of mind!" Raphael exploded. "Why the shell would you accept us and then reject us like you did? Like Donnie says, it makes no sense!"

"What have we ever done to you, Leo?" Donatello added pleadingly. "Don't you think we deserve an explanation at least?"

"Leo," Michelangelo asked calmly, forlornly. It was the first time he spoke since the beginning of that awful conversation, and everyone turned to him. "Did you really mean what you said? Do you really hate us? Please. I need to know."

Leonardo couldn't bear to look at him right now, not to mention answering him.

His father started.

"Leonardo," Murakami whispered, aghast. "Did you truly say such terrible words to your brothers?"

Leonardo swallowed hard. He hung his head in shame and despair, his silence an admission.

Murakami could hear his ragged breathing and the way he balanced his weight from one foot to the other. He sighed.

"Sit down," he instructed his son.

Leonardo didn't move.

"Leonardo," his father insisted softly but warningly.

Leonardo let out a strangled sound and surrendered, taking the stool next to his father and hiding his face in his crossed arms.

"Did you?" Murakami insisted.

Years of obeying his father made Leonardo answer the question despite his obvious unwillingness to do so.

"Yes."

"And was it true?"

There they were. If he answered yes, maybe his brothers would finally give up on him, and be safe.

He had to answer yes.

But he was emotionally exhausted, his father had put his hand softly on his neck for comfort even if his voice sounded disappointed, and his brothers were holding their breath.

And he knew they still cared about him. Their presence here was proof enough.

_Despite everything I've told them._

Leonardo simply didn't have the energy to keep up the pretense.

"No," he whispered, not daring to look at anyone.

He heard the softest of sighs of relief.

"Then why, Leonardo?" Murakami inquired, stroking his son's head gently. "It's very unlike you."

"Because I asked them to stay away from me, and they refused to leave!" Leonardo answered, raising his head desperately.

Donatello's voice broke the following silence. Sarcasm covering his hurt.

"Well, that worked really well. It was obviously a sound strategy."

"Why would you want something like that, Leo?" Michelangelo asked, his voice trembling. "I thought you liked us."

Leonardo lowered his head again, hiding from his brother's burning baby blue eyes.

"Because you're not safe anywhere near Karai. And so you're not safe anywhere near me."

Raphael stood up and grasped Leonardo's shoulders, shaking him.

"But. Why? Tell. Us. Why!" He shouted.

His hurt was feeding his anger, which was feeding his hurt, which was feeding his anger… Raphael couldn't take more.

Leonardo didn't know what would make it worse, his silence or the truth, but obviously his silence wasn't an option anymore.

So he met his brother's glare, unaware of how much he resembled him at the moment – though the irony wasn't lost on Donatello and Michelangelo, who exchanged an upset glance that wasn't deprived of fondness – and shouted back.

"Because your father murdered her mother!"

* * *

Raphael released him, horrified. He exchanged a look with Donatello and Michelangelo. So that was what it was all about? Did Leonardo really believe that Splinter was a cold-blooded killer? Was it why he had rejected them?

Although it was an upsetting thought, it was also a hopeful one. It meant that it was only a huge, huge misunderstanding, and that Leonardo had nothing against his brothers.

None of them was going to forget the words Leonardo had used to deliberately and efficiently hurt them, but that would have to wait.

"It's not true, Leo!" Michelangelo finally said. "Master Splinter would never do that!"

"Not in a hundred lifetimes," Raphael added with conviction.

"No way, Leo," Donatello said firmly. "Our father – _your_ father - isn't a murderer."

Leonardo merely sighed and hid his face in his arms again.

"I knew you wouldn't believe it. But it's still the truth."

"Leo, who told you that?" Donatello asked, trying to find a semblance of logic in this crazy statement.

"Karai did. And believe me, it's not a subject she jokes about."

"Then there has to be a misunderstanding. Leo, you have to talk to Splinter!"

"There is no way I'll be going anywhere near him!" Leonardo shouted.

"You need to hear his side of the story, Leo! We can lead you to him, tonight."

"Then you will have to knock me out, because I'm certainly not following you of my own free will," Leonardo said ironically.

Raphael's nostrils flared. He cracked his knuckles.

"If you're asking so nicely…"

"You wouldn't dare," Leonardo squinted at him, certain of what he had just said.

How wrong he was.

* * *

Murakami couldn't believe his ears. From what he had just heard, Raphael had…

The blind cook quickly put his arms around Leonardo, who was breathing steadily and quietly.

Unconscious.

With a quickly growing bump on his head.

Murakami frowned.

"Did you just knock out my son?" He asked in a slow, threatening tone.

At the same time, Michelangelo stomped to his brothers and pushed Raphael out of the way.

"Raph! What the shell were you thinking? How is this going to help?"

Donatello checked Leonardo's pulse quickly. Reassured, he talked to Murakami.

"Do you have some ice? Leo's going to need it."

"Over there," Murakami said, pointing at the freezer. "Raphael, is that it? Please explain to me why you would knock my son unconscious."

Raphael suddenly realized what he had done and blushed, his anger evaporating.

"Uh…"

He would never have thought that a blind man could look so threatening.

But considering the fact that the cook could, well, cook, he must handle kitchen knives perfectly. Knives like the big, sharp one which was currently on the counter.

"I'm so sorry, Murakami-san," Michelangelo said before Raphael could make matters worse. "Raph has a really bad temper, but he means no harm."

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea," Donatello mused.

Murakami and Michelangelo both turned towards him, their expressions a mix of disbelief and displeasure.

"After everything that happened tonight, Leo definitely has to talk to Splinter," Donatello explained. "And he clearly stated that he wasn't going to do it by himself."

The genius put a tentative hand on Murakami's arm.

"He needs it. You know that. We all need it. Please, Murakami-san. Let us bring him to our father. I promise that we will take good care of him."

"Promise," Michelangelo added with strength.

An eternity later, Murakami slowly nodded.

The three conscious turtles breathed in relief.

Then Michelangelo tilted his head.

"So, who is going to carry him to the lair?"

"Finally a question I have an answer for," Donatello said before waving his hand at his red-clad brother. "Please, Raph, be my guest."


	12. Earthquake

Leonardo was heavy.

That was the only thing Raphael could think of while he carried his unconscious brother through the city's sewer system.

His hurt, his doubts, his anger and his secret desire that somehow, this mess could be sorted out and they could begin anew – these things were put into the background by the physical effort his body had to make.

Following him, Michelangelo and Donatello were lost in thought.

Donatello was trying to put together the few pieces of information he had. Leonardo had told them that they weren't safe near Karai because she was convinced that Hamato Yoshi had killed her mother. Was he thinking that she would take her revenge on them? And who was her mysterious clan? Leonardo certainly had the answer. Donatello could only hope that he would be willing to share it with them. He anticipated that his brother wouldn't be too happy about suddenly finding himself in the lair. With his long-lost father.

_It's for your own good, Leo._

Donatello felt uneasy at the thought that they were acting against Leonardo's will. However, Leonardo hadn't hesitated to get verbally violent with them in order to protect them from whatever threat Karai posed, without even considering talking to them first. So maybe it was only poetic justice.

Michelangelo was walking morosely. The night had started off so well. And now, here he was, Leonardo's awful words ringing in his head on a loop.

But Leonardo had confessed that he didn't mean them.

Hopefully their beginning relationship would survive this disaster. No matter what, the orange-clad turtle wasn't going to give up on his newfound brother.

"Be careful, Raph," Michelangelo hissed, not for the first time, as Raphael moved Leonardo from one shoulder to the other in order to relieve his sore muscles. Handling his brother as if he was a big green sack of potatoes.

"Do you want to trade places with me?" Raphael grumbled.

"No, Mikey, don't," Donatello interjected. "It's only fair that Raph would do it. He has to learn that you can't just hit people when you're feeling overwhelmed, no matter how stubborn said people are. Not to mention the fact he always brags about his so-called superior strength."

"You told yourself that it wasn't such a bad idea to knock Leo out!"

"The idea wasn't bad. Its execution, however, was cruelly lacking. We have other means to render somebody unconscious, you know."

Raphael would have protested, but he preferred to spare his breath.

"Are you sure he's going to be alright?" Michelangelo asked in concern. "He should have woken up by now, right?"

"Don't worry, Mikey," Donatello quickly appeased his orange-clad brother's fears. "Leo is merely sleeping by now."

Raphael stopped dead in his tracks.

"WHAT?"

"It's not as surprising as it seems, considering the night we had."

"I'll wake him up," Raphael said decidedly.

"Then he will surely refuse to come with us, and what will you do next? Tie him up and drag him along?"

Raphael didn't answer, considering that possibility. It was tempting, but he had no rope…

Donatello noticed his hesitation and quickly went on.

"I was being sarcastic, Raph."

Raphael sighed.

"Really, he's asleep?" Michelangelo asked in wonder, leaning closer to Leonardo's face and careful not to inadvertently touch his bump. The ice had prevented it from becoming too big, but it was still unmistakable.

As if on cue, Leonardo moaned and wriggled. Was he having a nightmare?

"It's okay, Leo, we've got you," Michelangelo murmured soothingly, stroking his brother's arm with his hand.

Sleeping Leonardo took said hand and gripped it as if it was a teddy.

He even dribbled a bit on it, but Michelangelo couldn't have cared less.

"He's so cute," he whispered fondly.

"Cute isn't exactly the first word that crossed my mind," Raphael panted.

"I should probably call Splinter," Donatello said thoughtfully. "So he can prepare himself."

"I hope he can talk some sense into Leo," Michelangelo said in a pained voice. "I don't think I could go through a remake of the last few hours."

Donatello put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sensei is a ninja master. Surely he can convince our brother that he has the wrong side of the story."

"I hope you're right, Donnie," Michelangelo sighed, looking at his asleep brother longingly. Then something occurred to him and he smiled at Raphael.

"Raph, I'm tired. Can you carry me too?" Michelangelo asked hopefully with a hint of his usual cheerfulness.

"NO!"

* * *

Leonardo groaned and yawned. Had he been sleeping? The last thing he recalled was looking Raphael in the eye, daring him to… to do what?

Leonardo tried to stand up, but he quickly thought better of it. His head was spinning. He watched his surroundings, careful to move slowly.

He was lying in the middle of a rectangular room. The floor was covered with carpets and a tree was growing in the center.

_Uh. What is a tree doing inside a house?_

"It's good to see you awake."

Leonardo turned around a little too briskly, and he closed his eyes, grimacing. When he opened them again, he saw a giant rat dressed in robes and sitting cross-legged. The rat was looking at him with concern – and something else that Leonardo couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

The rat tilted his head.

"What do you remember?"

"I was… arguing…" Leonardo answered hesitantly.

With his brothers. About… what? And he had done something upsetting, because he felt he had no choice…

Leonardo distractedly moved one hand to his head and felt a bump under his fingers. Had he been hit on the head?

And suddenly he recalled the previous events. His eyes widened. Had Raphael truly knocked him out? Was he… was he in _his_ home now?

Panicking, Leonardo tried to stand again. However, his body wouldn't let him, and he sat back with a groan.

"Take it easy," the giant talking rat said gently.

"I have to go," Leonardo answered. "I can't stay here."

"Why not?" The rat asked, his intense brown eyes set on the turtle.

"There is somebody here that I don't want to talk to," Leonardo replied. "I thought I stated it clearly… Why would they do that to me?"

"Whom don't you want to talk to?"

The rat's voice was perfectly calm. Leonardo found it oddly relaxing.

"My… I mean, Hamato Yoshi."

The rat sighed.

"Well, I believe this is too late for that."

"Why?"

"Because I _am_ Hamato Yoshi. Although I prefer the name Splinter now."

Leonardo blinked.

"But you're a rat," he said, rather stupidly.

"Indeed."

"I thought you were human."

"I was."

Then Leonardo's brain caught up with what the giant rat had said and he recoiled.

"Stay away from me!"

A second later, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael were at his side. Donatello and Michelangelo each took one of his arms to prevent him from moving.

"Leo, it's okay," Michelangelo soothed him. "Master Splinter isn't going to hurt you."

"I know you didn't want to come, but you really have to listen to what he has to say," Donatello added.

Raphael just stood there, arms crossed. For some reason, he looked like he had just had a shower.

"I told you I didn't want to talk to _him_!" Leonardo spat. "He's a murderer!"

Splinter looked at him with an immense sadness.

"I am not, Leonardo. Donatello has told me you are convinced that I killed your friend's mother. But it isn't true."

"You're lying!" Leonardo shouted.

His brothers held their breath. Nobody talked to Master Splinter like that.

But the giant rat didn't reprimand Leonardo. Instead, he extended his paw to gently stroke his cheek.

"I understand that you're angry at me, my son," he whispered.

"Don't call me that!" Leonardo answered fiercely, turning his head away from the ninja master, his eyes full of tears and still pinned down by Michelangelo and Donatello.

"But you can't let your anger cloud your judgement. The fact I wasn't able to protect you as a child doesn't make me a murderer," Splinter went on.

"Karai told me so. Why would she lie to me? She's my friend. _She_ has always been there for me."

"She's mistaken, Leonardo."

Leonardo bit his lip stubbornly, and Splinter sighed.

"Release him," he instructed Michelangelo and Donatello, and both turtles stood back.

"Allow me to tell you my story, and then you'll be free to believe what you want, to leave that place and never come back if it is still your wish."

Leonardo looked at him, sniffling.

He hadn't wanted to come here. He hadn't wanted to talk to _him_. But it had happened, and Leonardo knew that he wouldn't be able to leave now and pretend that this encounter had never happened.

It would haunt him to the end of his days.

And his fath… _Splinter_ didn't look like a murderer. Of course, Leonardo knew that appearances could be deceiving, but it wasn't only about appearances. It was about the calm, appeasing aura that surrounded the rat. It felt almost… _familiar. Safe._

_No. It's a lie, another lie. I wasn't safe with him, was I?_

'I wasn't able to protect you as a child,' the rat had said.

_Did you even try?_

'Don't let your anger cloud your judgement,' he had added.

_I'm not!_

But deep down, Leonardo knew he was. His father, Murakami, had taught him that you always needed to hear both sides before making up your mind on a topic. Splinter wasn't threatening and his offer was reasonable.

So why was he still refusing to listen to him?

Could a man who had taken in four baby mutant turtles really murder a young mother?

What if he had been wrong all along? What if _Karai_ had been wrong?

If he had a chance to learn more about her past, shouldn't he seize it? For her?

Leonardo shivered.

He looked at his three brothers, who were watching him with expectant expressions. _Please, Leo,_ they were begging him silently. _Please, for us._

_Fine_ , Leonardo thought furiously, desperately. _Fine, I'll listen._

He gathered his legs in his arms and stiffly nodded.

* * *

Splinter's heart was breaking slowly and painfully at the sight of his lost son, Leonardo, who had recoiled from him. Who hadn't wanted to see him.

Who looked so vulnerable and so lost.

Splinter watched him avidly, attentive to his subtlest expressions.

Recognizing a few of them.

_My son._

The ninja master would never forget the day he had lost him. He had been scavenging with his four infant sons in the sewers and the flood had surprised them. His sons had been in danger to be carried away by the strong current. He had managed to get Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael to a safe place, but not Leonardo.

The little turtle had tried to float – he already knew how to swim – but the waters were too tumultuous.

He had quickly been carried away, and Splinter hadn't been able to follow when Leonardo had passed between the bars of a metal gate. When the rat father had managed to circumvent it, Leonardo was nowhere in sight. Splinter was too late.

He had never seen his son again.

Until today.

_Please let me tell you the truth, my son. Allow me to do my best to set things right for you. I only want to help._

_Please, let me love you._

When Leonardo nodded his reluctant acceptance, finally agreeing to listen to his father, Splinter took a deep breath. It was his only chance and he knew it.

Well, the ninja master wasn't going to spoil it.

"Everything began when I was raised in Japan with Oroku Saki, the son of the head of an enemy's clan…"

* * *

Despite himself, Leonardo was listening avidly to his father's tale. It was fascinating.

Two rival ninja clans. A brother turning against a brother…

A woman.

"Are you saying you were married to Tang Shen?" Leonardo interrupted Splinter, his eyes widening in shock.

"Yes," Splinter told him proudly. "She was my beloved, amazing wife."

He took the old frame he always kept in the dojo and showed Leonardo the picture of himself, Tang Shen and their baby daughter.

Leonardo took it, speechless.

"We even had a daughter, a beautiful little girl named Miwa."

The ninja master lowered his head in pain.

"In his thirst of revenge, Oroku Saki killed my wife. She took the blow that was meant for me. Our daughter perished in the fire of our home. He left me for dead, but I survived. And I fled Japan."

Leonardo was still watching the picture.

He knew it.

At least half of it…

Which meant that he _did_ had the wrong story.

Karai wasn't Karai. Karai was Miwa, and she had been raised by the murderer of her mother.

* * *

"Leonardo?" Splinter inquired gently, concerned because Leonardo was still lost in the contemplation of the picture. Stunned.

"It's you next to Tang Shen," he finally whispered. "It's you, and not Saki…"

"Yes, Leonardo."

Splinter took a deep breath.

"Now that you know more about my past in Japan, please tell me who I'm supposed to have killed."

Leonardo raised his head.

"Tang Shen…" He whispered.

"She was my wife, yes. Please, Leonardo. Can you answer my question? I need to understand why your friend – Karai, is that it? - would accuse me of such a crime."

To Splinter's surprise, Leonardo uncurled and came closer to him, taking his right paw between his three-fingered hands. His deep blue eyes filled with a renewed sorrow.

"No," Leonardo said softly, forgetting he was supposed to be mad at his father in front of the terrible revelation he just had. "I mean, it's _Tang Shen_. Karai's mother. _Oroku_ Karai's mother…"

Splinter's expression was an indecipherable mask.

"Or so I thought, until tonight," Leonardo finished in a whisper.


	13. Limbo

Splinter was rendered speechless.

Karai's mother was Tang Shen?

Leonardo's Karai was his Miwa?

His baby daughter was alive.

Raised by Saki, taught to believe that her true father was a killer.

But alive.

It seemed impossible, but again, it had seemed impossible that Leonardo would have survived, and here he was.

As the shock receded, joy began filling his heart. Along with anger at this new betrayal from the man he had once called his brother, and sadness at the lies that made his daughter's life.

And fear. Cold, intense fear for his children's safety.

_The Foot are in New York._

* * *

Leonardo was anxiously waiting for Splinter's reaction – had he been too abrupt in telling him his part of the truth?

However, Splinter still wasn't talking.

In contrast to the other mutants present in the room.

"What? _Oroku Karai_? That girl is the Shredder's daughter?" Raphael shouted.

" _That girl_ is your sister, Raph," Donatello retorted. The genius had already put the pieces together and was worried about his father.

He had thought that his daughter was dead. He had thought that his son was dead.

And none of them were.

Would Splinter rejoice at the news, or would he feel guilty because he had let go of them?

Probably both.

"Sister?" Michelangelo choked. "I've a sister now?"

Leonardo turned to him and offered him a poor smile.

"Yes, Mikey. You do."

Michelangelo tilted his head, thinking hard.

"Do you think she will also say she hates us when she learns about it? Because, you know…" Michelangelo looked reproachfully at Leonardo, who averted his eyes in shame. "It kind of hurts."

"You don't have to be there. No offense, but she wouldn't believe you anyways. I'll tell her…"

"No!" Splinter suddenly shouted, silencing everyone in the room. Leonardo slid back, surprised and a little afraid.

The ninja master took a deep breath.

"You can't tell her the truth like that, Leonardo."

Leonardo crossed his arms.

"And why not? She has a right to know!"

Splinter rubbed his temples.

"If you do, you'll put her in great danger. You'll put all of us in great danger."

He watched his son intensely.

"I think you already know that."

Leonardo watched him with despair.

"You can't tell her the truth without explaining how you learned it," Donatello realized aloud. "And if she talks about it with anyone in the Foot, then…then the Shredder will know Hamato Yoshi is in New York."

The purple-clad turtle narrowed his gaze at Leonardo.

"That's why you wanted us to stay away from her. You believe that the Foot clan will try to wipe us out if they find out who we are."

"You were trying to protect us?" Michelangelo realized. Then he glared at Leonardo. "Worst way to do it ever, dude!"

Next to him, Raphael huffed.

Leonardo blushed.

"I… Maybe not Karai, but her father… I mean, the Shredder… yes. I believe he would stop at nothing to get his revenge," Leonardo answered reluctantly. "His hatred must run deep, considering how he taught Karai hatred..."

Leonardo noticed Splinter's upset look and swallowed hard.

"But everything has changed now. She has no reason to get revenge on you anymore! She's your daughter, not Saki's," he finished in a small voice.

"Assuming that she will believe you," Splinter interjected, his voice full of grief, "how long will she be able to keep the truth a secret?"

"She's loyal," Leonardo protested fiercely. "She wouldn't betray my trust!"

"Leonardo. You told us that she was raised to hate. Do you think that she will just forget about her revenge? Perhaps will she merely change her target?"

Leonardo opened his mouth to answer, but his throat was suddenly dry.

Learning that she had been lied to her whole life? That the man who had raised her – who pretended to love her – had killed her mother and almost managed to kill her father?

It would devastate her. And she would want to get revenge on the Shredder.

What would he do to her, then? And even if he didn't hurt her – Leonardo knew that Saki truly considered her as his daughter and he couldn't believe that he would fall so low - what if he found out how she had learned the truth?

Splinter read Leonardo's realization on his distraught face.

"The truth can be an earthquake and bring random destruction," he told him softly. "Are you willing to take such a risk?"

"But her whole life is a lie," Leonardo uttered dejectedly. "Now that I know of her true past, how can I not tell her? She's my best friend! My… my sister. I would be as guilty as the Shredder!"

"No, Leonardo," his father told him softly, not failing to notice that it was the first time Leonardo acknowledged their kinship – however indirectly. "You would only be trying to protect her. And your brothers."

Leonardo bowed his head and didn't answer.

Splinter stood up.

"I need to meditate on what happened, and I believe that you all could use some rest. We'll talk again in the morning."

His sons slowly nodded and left the room, Leonardo hesitantly following the others.

Splinter watched them depart, hoping that they couldn't tell how close he was to finally lose his composure. Only his ninja training had allowed him to last this long.

_Oh, Miwa. My baby girl. I fear there is nothing I can do for you. Not if I want to keep your brothers safe._

* * *

Leonardo stopped as soon as he had left the room, awestruck. This certainly wasn't an ordinary home. If the TV and couch were not unexpected, the size of his brothers' living room, its shape and the turnstiles at the entrance were much more surprising. It almost looked like… an underground station?

Michelangelo noticed his surprise and smiled.

"Not what you expected?"

"Where are we?" Leonardo asked.

"In the sewers. Awesome, right?"

Leonardo shook his head, speechless.

He looked at his three brothers, not knowing what to do. Michelangelo was smiling hesitantly at him, Raphael kept his head stubbornly bowed and stood guard next to the room they had just left, arms crossed, while Donatello had begun crossing the room.

"And… what now?" Leonardo asked tentatively.

Donatello stopped and turned round.

"You can sleep on the couch," he said in a flat tone. "Except if you prefer to go back to your home, but I don't think this… situation is resolved yet. And considering how little time we have until sunrise, you probably won't be able to come back before tomorrow evening."

"I… I need to call my father, then," Leonardo answered slowly.

"There," Donatello said, throwing something at Leonardo.

The surprised turtle caught it. His stomach knotted in guilt when he understood what it was.

The cell phone Donnie had made for him.

"Donnie, I…"

"I don't take back gifts," Donatello shrugged, his expression almost painfully neutral. "I'll be in my lab if anyone needs me."

Doing as he had just said, the genius quickly disappeared behind the huge doors.

Leonardo sighed. He moved aside to enjoy a little privacy while calling Murakami.

Unsurprisingly, his father immediately answered.

"Hi, Dad," Leonardo greeted him. He listened to Murakami's answer.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I think. It's just…it's complicated… Yes, I'm in their home... I would like to stay there for the rest of the night, and tomorrow, too. If that's okay for you?"

Leonardo was certain that his father wouldn't object to it, but it was still better to ask for permission.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow night, then. Yes… Yes, me too, Daddy."

Leonardo hung up and turned round to see Raphael and Michelangelo take a few steps backwards and pretend they hadn't been eavesdropping.

Leonardo shook his head.

"It was supposed to be a private call, you know."

"A call? Which call?" Michelangelo said, looking at Raphael. "Do you know anything about a call, Raph?"

"Nope. Never heard of that. Why would I care, anyway?"

Leonardo rolled his eyes and collapsed on the couch. His head was throbbing and the many revelations of the night had left him exhausted. He was in no state to think properly about what he should or shouldn't do next.

He took his head in his hands.

"What a night."

"Hmm," Michelangelo said. "So, are you staying?"

Leonardo raised an eye ridge at him.

"Didn't you just hear that?"

"Noo! You're staying, then. Good. Uh… Do you want something to drink?"

Leonardo leaned backwards.

"Why not? Do you have tea?"

"Sure! I'll make you some tea!"

Michelangelo ran away from the living room, leaving Leonardo and Raphael alone. Raphael was still standing with his arms crossed, keeping vigil and glaring at Leonardo.

Leonardo sent him a careful glance while touching his bump.

"Do I have to fear another one?"

Raphael blushed.

"Nah."

"I really didn't think you would do it, you know."

Raphael shrugged.

"I didn't mean to," he said reluctantly. "I mean, at the time I was more than happy to meet your challenge, but afterwards… Well, let's say I'm known for overreacting."

"You're trying to say that you're a hothead."

Raphael huffed.

"It's still better than being pig-headed. Why on earth did you think that rejecting us was going to work? We're not that kind of family."

Leonardo sighed.

"Consider that lesson learned. And by the way, I… I didn't mean anything of what I said in that alleyway. I'm sorry I hurt you. But I had to try."

"Just promise that you'll never do it again," Michelangelo said, coming back with a tray and four mugs. He handed one to Leonardo, who took it gratefully. "Even to protect us. Especially not to protect us."

"I promise," Leonardo said, inhaling the aroma of his hot tea. "No more throwing random hurtful words in the air."

His brothers both nodded. Michelangelo handed Raphael a mug and took one himself. From the scent, Leonardo could say it was hot chocolate.

"You don't drink tea, do you?"

"No," Michelangelo said softly. "But Master Splinter does."

Leonardo grimaced. He wasn't sure he wanted to have that in common with his father. He looked at the last mug, an interrogative expression on his face.

"It's coffee," Michelangelo answered his silent question. "For Donnie."

"Do you think he will join us?"

"Not anytime soon," Michelangelo sighed. "You know, Donnie…"

"…Sometimes has a hard time dealing with his emotions," Raphael added.

"And you don't? I mean, Donnie at least didn't try to knock me out."

Raphael shrugged the cutting comment off.

"It's not the same. Oh, he's truly frightening when he snaps, believe me…"

Raphael and Michelangelo exchanged a knowing glance.

"But most of the time, he'll just bottle things up."

"Did he talk to you about his depression?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo raised his eye ridges.

"He has been depressed? I didn't know."

"There is a lot you don't know about us," Raphael grumbled.

"Well, technically I met you three yesterday. Or the day before yesterday, considering what time it is," Leonardo answered defensively.

Michelangelo sighed.

Leonardo watched his silent brothers, pondering their words.

"What are you trying to say?" He asked softly.

Raphael took a sip of his drink.

"Go talk to Donnie," he answered. "Before he begins to brood over what you said without meaning it."

Leonardo winced at the bitterness in his tone.

"To help you a bit, you can bring him that peace offering," Michelangelo said, indicating the coffee mug. "He loves coffee with a passion I find hard to understand."

Leonardo slowly nodded. Taking a deep breath, he seized the mug before standing up and heading for Donatello's lab.


	14. Kinship

Leonardo knocked timidly on the door of Donatello's lab, using his elbow because he had a mug in each hand. He found the 'Keep Out!' panel rather ominous. The sounds coming from the lab and the fact that both Michelangelo and Raphael had hidden behind the couch didn't help his rising anxiety.

Leonardo inhaled deeply. From what he had witnessed, Donatello was a rather peaceful and polite turtle. Surely they were exaggerating.

The sounds stopped and the sliding doors opened, showing a threatening figure dressed in black and wearing a helm. It was brandishing a welding torch.

Leonardo took a step backwards, gasping at the apparition and almost spilling the drinks. Behind him, he heard his brothers snigger.

"Yes?" Donatello said in a grouchy tone, lifting his solder mask.

Leonardo blinked and blushed slightly.

"Uh… Do you want to talk?"

Donatello raised his eye ridges.

"I brought you coffee," Leonardo added hesitantly, showing the coffee mug as if it was some sort of shield.

Donatello sighed.

"Come in."

His brother immediately complied and Donatello slid the doors shut behind them.

Leonardo gawked at the sight before him. He had never seen a room so messy in his entire life. There were a desk, several tables and a sink, each covered with open books, test tubes, mechanical pieces and varied equipment, including something resembling a motor. The floor wasn't spared.

"Watch your footing," Donatello warned. "It's not always so messy, but I'm in the middle of an important project."

He put his welding torch in a corner and took off his hazmat suit and his solder mask before sitting down at his desk, indicating a stool to Leonardo. The baffled turtle sat down and handed Donatello his mug.

"Thanks," Donatello said, his expression softening as he began to drink the coffee.

"You're welcome," Leonardo answered. "Mikey made it."

"I know that," Donatello replied, not looking at his brother.

Leonardo sighed and fiddled with his mug nervously.

"Listen, Donnie, I… I'm sorry I hurt you. I was scared that Karai would discover who you were and hurt you. I… I couldn't think of anything better to do at the time."

Donatello suddenly raised his head to glare at his brother.

"You couldn't think of anything better?" He told him slowly, bitterly.

The previous events were taking their toll and the purple-clad turtle couldn't deny how hurt he had been by Leonardo's words anymore. How heartbroken he had felt when his brother had thrown him his gift back, the cell phone he had made for him with such care and love.

And it wasn't like Leonardo didn't know what he was doing. On the contrary, he had chosen his words so that they would inflict pain.

_I understand why he did it, I really do. But it still hurt so much._

Donatello's voice was hoarse as he went on.

"I don't know, why didn't you try _explaining_ your dilemma to us instead? With polite words, like civilized people do?"

Both he and Leonardo had tears in their eyes now.

"I didn't think you would understand," Leonardo whispered.

"You didn't think we would understand."

Donatello put his mug back on the table with strength, spilling some coffee on his papers.

"Leo, what part of 'I'm a genius' did you not understand?"

Leonardo blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"'I'm a genius' means that there are very few things in this world I _can't_ understand," Donatello explained, throwing up his hands. "I could have helped, if only you had given me a chance! Do you know how useless I felt? I knew something was wrong, and I was unable to fix it. Exactly like the time when…"

Donatello abruptly shut up, suddenly drained.

"Never mind," he muttered.

Leonardo frowned. Was Donatello referring to whatever event had sent him into a depression?

"Again, I'm sorry, Donnie. I panicked. The Shredder… I met him once, and he's not someone to trifle with."

Donatello drank his coffee, conflicted. Leonardo had met the Shredder? He wanted to learn more about this particular story, but he still felt hurt.

' _You're just a bunch of detestable freaks.'_

Donatello knew that Leonardo hadn't meant it, that his life had just been turned upside down and of course all of his reactions couldn't be appropriate. Besides, his brother had just apologized. Twice.

But Leonardo's words had struck a nerve.

_I'm a freak. A freak who happens to really, really like a human girl._

Donatello closed his eyes tight, his hands gripping his mug.

_What a sick joke._

_I'm a freak…_

* * *

Leonardo watched his brother with deep concern, not knowing what to do or say. It was obvious that Donatello was in pain, that somehow he couldn't get past Leonardo's hurtful words. But the genius wasn't talking about it.

He was bottling it up, exactly like Raphael had said.

Leonardo wasn't used to that. The only two people in the world that he knew well enough never reacted that way. His father, Murakami, always explained to his son why he was upset – on the rare times when the calm and levelheaded cook was. And even if he regularly quarreled with Karai, he always knew exactly why or found out quickly. It was as natural as breathing.

_Until now_ , he thought sadly.

His friendship with Karai was going to be tested to its limits, he knew it. But he didn't want to think about it now.

However, Leonardo wasn't used to dealing with an upset Donatello. This was entirely new territory.

Only one thing was certain. He wouldn't leave this lab before he had managed to soothe his brother's pain.

He wiped his eyes with determination.

_You didn't give up on me. I'm not giving up on you. I'll find your key._

* * *

"Donnie?"

Donatello started at the sound of his name and the feel of Leonardo's hands around his fingers, gently prying them open.

"You're going to break your mug," his brother said softly.

Donatello averted his eyes and let go of the mug, waving his hands so that Leonardo would release him. But Leonardo didn't. Instead, he leaned forward, moving his head closer so that Donatello had to look at him or be ridiculous.

"Donnie. In all the horrors I said, is there something… something that hit you harder?" Leonardo said hesitantly. "You've got to help me. I want to make it right for you."

Donatello bit his lip. Leonardo's deep blue eyes were hypnotizing. The genius could tell that he had his brother's full attention right now, and it was almost intimidating.

As if nothing but him existed in the entire world.

As if Leonardo wasn't going to judge him, no matter what he said.

As if his brother cared, really and truly cared about him…

Donatello found himself answering, his voice a mere whisper.

"I'm a freak, and April isn't."

Then he blushed. Why had he phrased it like that? It was stupid, so stupid.

But Leonardo was still looking at him with the same focused expression.

"You're no more a freak than I am," he answered slowly. "I never meant those words. I'm sorry."

_Third is a charm._

Donatello couldn't help smiling wryly. He wiped his eyes before replying.

"Then we are both freaks. Same problem."

Leonardo smiled back at him.

"Well, thank you. About April… you like her, right? And I don't mean 'like' her. I mean ' _like'_ her."

Donatello sighed in defeat.

"Yes."

"I don't have a lot of experience with girls…"

"What about Karai?"

"She's my sister, it doesn't count. Besides, I pity the guy who will fall in love with her. She's more likely to beat him up for his boldness than anything else."

Leonardo winked at Donatello and was rewarded with a small chuckle.

"So, about April. I've only talked to her once, but I don't think she's the kind of person who would consider you as a freak."

Donatello sighed.

"I know you're right, but still…"

"But nothing. Stop overthinking it."

Donatello rolled his eyes.

"Easier said than done. It is with regret that I have to say April O'Neil has the ability to short-circuit the sensible part of my brain."

"No small feat for a genius. Do you want to talk about her with me? I'm a good listener."

Donatello bit his lip, feeling hesitant. Since they had helped to free April and her father, both Michelangelo and Raphael were affectionately but mercilessly teasing him about his crush on her. But Leonardo didn't look like he was going to laugh at him.

"Why not?" The purple-clad turtle answered, finally breaking their hold to take back his coffee mug and finish it while Leonardo leaned on his elbows.

* * *

Donatello felt a lot better now. Leonardo hadn't lied, he really was a good listener. He had a way to compel you to reveal your deepest feelings while making it look like you were merely talking about the weather.

After talking to his heart's content about April and his half-serious rivalry with Casey, they had moved to the topic of Donatello's inventions. The purple-clad turtle had no idea how his brother had managed it, but he was now kneeling on the floor, enthusiastically showing his last project to Leonardo – the same project he still hadn't told a word about to Raphael and Michelangelo.

Leonardo seemed to find everything he said fascinating, even asking a few pertinent questions. Donatello made a mental note to ask him about what he had studied later – he had to be homeschooled, of course, but thanks to the Internet, you could learn a lot if you were willing to. Maybe Donatello could provide him with a personal study plan to help him go further… He filled it in his 'later' mental file. Things would have to calm down first.

Donatello finally covered his latest invention with a sheet to protect it from prying eyes and turned to Leonardo, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him.

"Your turn. You said you met the Shredder. How is he?"

"Tall. Scary. Armored from head to toes."

Donatello raised his eye ridges.

"A rather concise description."

"Well, I was still a child. Maybe eight or nine years old. Or ten, it's hard to tell."

Donatello's scientific mind wasn't satisfied with this level of precision, and he couldn't help making it known.

"Eight, or nine, or ten?"

Leonardo blushed.

"Well, infant mutant turtles aren't very common, right? So my father didn't really know how old I was when he found me."

Donatello's eyes widened.

"You mean that you don't know how old you are?"

Leonardo blushed harder.

"No."

Donatello watched him for a while before putting a hand on his brother's arm and squeezing it.

"You're sixteen," he provided. "Considering you were born the day of our mutation."

Leonardo smiled at him gratefully.

"Then Karai really is older than me," he mused. "She'll be overjoyed. You see, we are used to celebrating our birthday together and fighting over who is the eldest…"

Leonardo interrupted himself.

"You two are really close, aren't you?" Donatello said softly.

Leonardo averted his eyes.

"Yes. That's why I can't… I don't see how I will be able to hide the truth from her. Let alone openly lie to her. She will know it in a heartbeat. And at the same time, telling her the truth will put you guys in danger. Which I was trying to avoid, with the success that you know."

Donatello considered his brother pensively.

"You know, I think we will be in danger from the Foot no matter what you tell or don't tell Karai."

Leonardo watched his brother, intrigued and a little concerned.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because Raph is in the habit of playing vigilante, and he already got beaten up by Karai's clan because of it."

"WHAT? When did this happen?"

"Right before we met you."

"I can't believe Karai told me nothing about it," Leonardo muttered.

"Maybe she didn't know."

Leonardo pondered that.

"Any chance that Raph will stop these… vigilante… activities?"

Donatello lifted an eye ridge and Leonardo sighed.

"Riiight. I hadn't much hope anyways. He seems pretty stubborn in his own way."

Donatello smiled at him, a huge, true smile that let his tooth gap apparent.

"You have no idea."

Leonardo hid his face against his knees.

"When did my life become that complicated? I'm a simple turtle with simple needs."

Donatello patted his brother's shell.

"Do you want to talk about it? You'll see, I'm a good listener too."

* * *

In the living room, Raphael was pacing nervously while Michelangelo had his ear pressed against Donatello's lab doors. The shorter turtle couldn't hear _what_ was said – Donatello had designed his doors specifically to avoid that – but he could still tell if there was a conversation going on.

Michelangelo suddenly straightened up – his back ached from the uncomfortable position it had been in for so long – and looked worriedly at his brother.

"Raph, they're not talking anymore. Do you think they are okay? Maybe Leo said the wrong thing and Donnie is more upset than ever."

Raphael stopped.

"I knew it was a bad idea," he growled. "You should have talked to Donnie, you're used to handling him when he's in that kind of mood."

Michelangelo fidgeted.

"Maybe we should check up on them. Just in case."

"Yeah, do that."

Michelangelo carefully slid one of the doors open, expecting to hear Donatello's irritated voice any instant. His purple-clad brother was adamant: they had to knock on the door first.

Raphael watched him anxiously, his heart skipping a beat when Michelangelo inhaled sharply.

"What is it? What is it?"

Michelangelo shook his head and ran to the couch to retrieve his T-phone.

"Mikey, for the love of…" Raphael gritted. " _What is it?_ "

"Hush," his brother whispered. "Come here, you have to see this!"

Raphael hurriedly came closer and peered through the doorway. His eyes widened at the sight.

In the lab, Donatello and Leonardo were sprawled on the floor, sound asleep, with Leonardo's head resting on Donatello's plastron.

Michelangelo took a few pictures.

"For later use," he whispered, grinning widely.

Raphael shook his head, both amused and relieved.

"I'll get them a blanket."


	15. Imprudence

Karai was sulking.

First, she had to follow Bradford's orders tonight. Her father, the Shredder, had ordered her to do so and disobeying him wasn't worth the trouble she would get into.

Second, Bradford was keeping her on beginner's tasks, unworthy of her talent. She was used to giving orders herself, not staying in the rearguard.

Third, Leonardo hadn't answered her all evening.

Truth to tell, this was beginning to worry her.

_Is he really that mad at me?_

She had left him the whole day to cool down, and only begun to send him texts in the evening.

In the lack of an answer, she had resigned herself to call him. However, her call had gone directly to voice mail. She had been surprised because Leonardo rarely switched his phone off – but maybe he wanted to enjoy a one-to-one evening with Murakami after the stunning revelations of last night.

_Still, I hoped that he would be more understanding._

So Karai wasn't showing any enthusiasm tonight. The only thing that cheered her up a bit was to stick her tongue out at Bradford when he had his back on her. Not very mature, perhaps, but fun.

She found Chris Bradford pathetic. He was like a guard dog happy to lick the dirt between his father's toes.

Speaking of the man, he was now looking at her, frowning. Karai wondered if he was going to ask her to carry his helm again – it was really a poor imitation of the Shredder's, by the way. If so, she would make sure to spit inside this time.

"You're slouching", Bradford said. "Straighten up."

Karai bit back a cheeky reply and corrected her posture. She didn't want to declare war on him.

At least not open war.

* * *

Bradford was rather enjoying his evening. The fact that he had Karai under his direct orders wasn't foreign to his state of mind.

_Daddy's little princess._

He disliked her even more than she disliked him. He was jealous of her relationship with the Shredder and of the fact she was being raised to ultimately take over as leader of the Foot. Bradford, star pupil of the Shredder for so long, had been convinced that the title would one day be his own. However, Karai's birth had changed everything. Besides, the girl was gifted; he had to give her that. She would be a great kunoichi one day. Ninjitsu ran in her blood, after all.

_She always had it easy. I, on the contrary, had a hard time getting where I am now._

But it was rewarding to see her pouting now. Bradford grinned before focusing on the task ahead.

He was going to meet with the leader of a renowned street gang tonight, on behalf of the Shredder. He had to decide if the Foot should rather take him down or if he could be trusted to work for Master Shredder.

It was an important responsibility. Bradford would make sure to appear as imposing as he could.

_This Hun is going to be impressed._

* * *

Boring. This meeting was boring.

Bradford and the leader of the street gang which name Karai found really, really lame – Purple Dragons, really? Couldn't the thugs have thought of something more original? – were discussing in a soft voice, a few meters apart from their men.

_And women. Let's not forget the women._

Karai couldn't hear what was being said, which annoyed her to no end. She was reduced to staring at the group of Purple Dragons in front of her. None of them seemed especially threatening to her. Many of them had street weapons, but a few were holding glowing pink spheres Karai had never seen before. She wondered if it was a new kind of smoke bomb.

They were standing in a narrow alleyway. Karai's gaze wandered on the walls. She could see clotheslines and flowerpots.

One flowerpot in particular caught her attention. It happened to be unstable and right above Bradfords's helmeted head.

_Oooooh, this is too tempting._

She stealthily threw a pebble at the flowerpot, taking advantage of the fact her fellow clansmen were watching the Purple Dragons and the Purple Dragons were watching her fellow clansmen while ignoring her, the shorter girl.

Her pebble hit the flowerpot with an inoffensive noise that nevertheless caught Bradford and Hun's attention. Then the flowerpot fell and crashed on her temporary leader's head.

The flowers, the water and the earth gave Bradford a ridiculous appearance and more than a few of the Purple Dragons chuckled.

Karai herself was having the greatest difficulty restraining her laughter. She absolutely had to remain a vision of innocence.

Oh, how she wished she could see Bradford's face right now. What a shame it was hidden behind his helmet.

Karai thought about sending a text to Leonardo – later on, of course, she didn't want to attract unwanted attention - before remembering that he wasn't reachable.

This was getting annoying.

_I'll go see him tomorrow afternoon. There is no way he will be able to ignore me if I'm right at his door._

* * *

Bradford was inwardly boiling.

That little brat. He was certain that it was all her fault, but he had no proof. Without proof, Shredder wouldn't reprimand his adored daughter.

_If I go to him with nothing more than suspicions, he will reprimand_ me _for being unable to keep her in line. Maybe even congratulate her for her stealth…_

Before going back to the business at hand, Bradford glanced at Karai. The kunoichi tilted her head, her expression all perplexity and innocence.

_You're going to regret this, princess._

* * *

As he came back to the Purple Dragons' hideout, newly refurbished after the turtles and their allies had so thoroughly trashed it a few months ago, Hun was whistling a happy tune.

Tonight's business had gone really well.

Not only had he managed to convince Bradford that he would make a worthy ally – the Kraang technology he still had access to had played a great role in that – but he had also been trusted with an important mission. A mission which would allow him to enact a personal revenge.

After the flowerpot incident, the Foot soldier had added a personal request.

"Do you mind coming after so-called innocent people?" Bradford had asked.

Hun didn't.

"There is someone I would like to give a lesson to. Coming after that person directly is impossible, but she…or he… is connected to other people who aren't as well-protected."

He had looked at the Foot girl, then, and Hun had immediately understood. He didn't like arrogant girls either.

"I would like you to kidnap someone. Or something. A mutant. Bring him to your hideout, have fun with him, and record everything. You have to keep him alive, though."

"A mutant?" Hun had asked.

"Yes. A lizard. Or maybe a turtle, I don't exactly remember."

A turtle. Hun's heart had begun beating faster.

"That would be my pleasure," he had casually answered.

Bradford had nodded, satisfied, before going on.

"Oh, I almost forgot. It might imply threatening a blind old man. Would that be a problem?"

To Hun, it wasn't.


	16. Reprieve

When Leonardo woke up the following day, it took him a while to understand why his limbs were so numb and why his pillow – although not uncomfortable – felt so hard. When he remembered that he wasn't in his bed, he straightened up in panic, waking Donatello up.

"Uh… Sorry," Leonardo told him sheepishly. "I didn't think I would fall asleep like that."

The genius yawned and stretched.

"Don't worry. It won't be the first time that I sleep in my lab."

"On the cold hard floor?" Leonardo asked, tilting his head.

"Well, it's not unheard of," Donatello answered, smiling. "Even if I do have a cot somewhere."

Leonardo shook his head and stood up, offering his hand to Donatello to help him on his feet.

"And, you know… Thank you. For last night. You _are_ an excellent listener."

"Same here, and you're welcome," Donatello said. "Now if you don't mind, I need my coffee. I'm not exactly a morning person."

* * *

As Donatello headed for the kitchen, Leonardo stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

He wasn't hungry just yet, but he would have enjoyed a nice shower. And he needed to use the bathroom.

Neither Raphael nor Michelangelo were in sight, so he resigned himself to interrupt Donatello in his coffee-making and ask him.

"At the end of the hallway," Donatello answered, looking at the coffee machine with the eyes of a predator. Leonardo prudently retreated.

To Leonardo's relief, there was only one door at the indicated location. He didn't want to enter a bedroom by inadvertence.

After he was done with his morning ablutions, he took a closer look at the other doors. One was covered in big 'Keep Out!' and 'You're Not Welcome' red panels, with a smaller one saying 'I Love You Spike!'. It wasn't in the same handwriting.

_It has to be Raph's bedroom. I wonder who Spike is,_ Leonardo mused.

Next to that one was another door marked with purple arrows. Some even had speech bubbles like 'Your Bed Is This Way, Donnie' and 'I'm Your One And Only Bedroom, Stop Being Unfaithful'. Leonardo chuckled. Obviously, Donatello regularly fell asleep in his lab.

On the other side of the hallway were two other doors. One displayed a smiling turtle figure created from parts of comic book pages. As Leonardo leaned closer, he noticed that they weren't original pages, but handmade copies.

_Wow, Mikey. I didn't know you could draw like this._

The other door was ajar, and Leonardo's curiosity got the better of him. He opened it wider and entered the room.

It was only a storeroom, although its size would have made it fit for a bedroom. Leonardo's gaze wandered on the shelves. _Books. Old toys. Household utensils._

And there, in a corner…

A discarded shrine. With a picture of him as a baby turtle.

Leonardo froze.

A shrine? For him?

_They grieved for me_ , Leonardo realized, his heart aching.

He became aware of the presence behind him one second before Raphael spoke.

"It was in the dojo, but it felt inappropriate to leave it there once we learned you were alive."

His red-clad brother was leaning in the doorway with a closed expression and his arms crossed.

"I… I guess so."

"We didn't have the time to properly dismantle it yet."

Leonardo stroked the edge of the picture, intimidated.

"How… how did it happen?"

Raphael considered him for a while.

"You'll have to ask Splinter," he answered, not unkindly. "He's the best suited to answer you."

Leonardo looked away.

"I don't care anyway," he muttered.

Raphael sighed and came closer, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Leo, he's your father. You can't avoid him your whole life, can you?"

"He's _not_ my father," Leonardo answered angrily.

Raphael merely shook his head.

"You don't mean that. You're just mad at him."

"How would _you_ know?"

To Leonardo's surprise, Raphael smiled sadly.

"I'm kind of an expert in that department."

The red-clad turtle squeezed his brother's shoulder harder.

"I'm not trying to tell you how you should feel. But it was an accident, and Splinter really took it hard."

Leonardo huffed and shrugged Raphael's arm off. Raphael elbowed him with a smirk.

"Come. Let's have breakfast. I don't think Mikey is up yet, so we'll have to keep it simple. Do you like cereals?"

Leonardo smiled, relieved that his brother had tactfully changed the subject.

"Sounds good. By the way, Raph, who's Spike?"

"S…Spike? Uh… he's…" Raphael said, his next words indistinct.

_Oh my, is he actually blushing?_

"I couldn't hear," Leonardo told him. "What did you just say?"

" _He'smypetturtle_."

Leonardo's eyes widened.

"You have a _pet turtle_?"

Raphael immediately and defensively got his brother in a headlock.

"Do you have something against pet turtles?" He asked menacingly.

"No, it's just… surprising…" Leonardo managed to answer, grinning in spite of his sore muscles. He really shouldn't have slept on the floor.

Raphael released him with a groan, his body stiff.

_He's definitely blushing_ , Leonardo thought, deeply amused.

However, he didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings.

"I would be honored to meet him," he announced solemnly. "If it's okay for you."

Raphael hesitated.

"Well, I guess I could organize an official meeting," he answered slowly. "To introduce you properly."

* * *

Splinter was meditating in front of the shrine dedicated to his deceased wife – and until last night, to their daughter.

It was an understatement to say that he hadn't slept well. Leonardo's revelations had been hard to take. Learning that his baby girl was alive and that she had been raised by the Shredder… Well, that was an emotional rollercoaster.

And they were both in New York City.

Splinter had examined all aspects of the problem, and there was no way for his daughter to learn the truth without endangering his sons. The further they stayed away from the Foot, the better it was.

To be honest, the ninja master had considered confining Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello to the lair, but he didn't wield the necessary authority to confine Leonardo too, and the three first turtles would never accept their fate if their brother was free to go back and forth.

He would have to content himself with forbidding them to mess with the Foot. As long as the Shredder didn't learn who they were, he would have no reason to come after them.

Splinter was conscious that Leonardo was an unknown in this complicated equation.

He had to talk to him and ensure that he wasn't going to spill the truth.

* * *

Michelangelo got up late, even for him, but he was immediately bright and cheerful. He crossed on light feet the devastated area that was his bedroom's floor and hurried to the bathroom, then to the kitchen.

To his delight, his three brothers were already there, having breakfast together. Even Spike was there, chewing at his perpetual lettuce leaf. However, it wasn't a very elaborated breakfast. They hadn't even bothered to make toasts. He would have to fix that.

The three seated turtles greeted him and Michelangelo grinned at them. Then he surreptitiously crept closer to Leonardo and without warning, hugged him fiercely from behind.

Leonardo almost choked on his cereals, obviously taken by surprise.

"Morning Mikey is always clingy, don't worry," Donatello winked at the surprised turtle.

"I can smack him for you, if you want," Raphael generously offered.

Michelangelo glared at him from below his armpits because of his bent-over position, and Leonardo declined, patting Michelangelo's arms with a smile. Now that he had recovered from his earlier surprise, he found the hug rather pleasant.

"Be careful, I could get used to that," he teased his shortest brother.

"I'll take the risk," Michelangelo said happily before straightening up.

"Now, who wants pancakes? Except Raph. Green mean turtles like him don't deserve such treats."

Then of course Raphael had to chase him down across the kitchen, and Leonardo exchanged an amused glance with Donatello.

"I'm glad you're here," his purple-clad brother said. "As a reasonable turtle, I feel less lonely."

It took some time for the two running turtles to agree on a truce, but they finally managed it for the pancakes' sake. Then the four turtles began talking animatedly. None of them wanted to think about yesterday's ordeal right now; they simply wanted to enjoy a peaceful moment together.

That's how Splinter found them, and he felt his heart soften at the sight.

"Good morning, my sons," he told them fondly.

Leonardo's face immediately darkened, and Splinter sighed inwardly.

Michelangelo, on the contrary, beamed at him.

"Sensei, can we take a day off? We could show Leo around the lair, and teach him how to get his bearings in the sewers," he pleaded.

Splinter didn't hesitate for long. He knew how desperately his sons needed some bonding time.

"Very well. There will be no training today."

* * *

Karai knocked on the door of Murakami's noddle shop. It was early evening and it wasn't opened to customers yet.

The kunoichi didn't have to wait long before Murakami opened it.

"Good evening, Murakami-san," she said, bowing. "May I enter?"

"Good evening, Karai. Of course," the blind cook answered, motioning for her to come inside.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Karai got to the heart of the matter.

"I don't want to appear rude, but I really need to talk to that stubborn son of yours. I've been trying to reach him and he never answered!"

The kunoichi's tone was clearly outraged.

Murakami offered her a warm smile to soothe her, but his heart wasn't in it. Obviously, she was still blissfully ignorant of what Leonardo had learned yesterday.

_I truly hope there is a misunderstanding and Leonardo's first father has nothing to do with the death of her mother._

"He's not here," he added.

"What? Where is he?"

Karai put his hands on her hips, for her own sake rather than for the blind man's.

"He's out with his brothers, isn't he?"

"Yes. He spent last night at their home."

"Oh really?"

Karai couldn't help feeling jealous. So Leonardo hadn't been brooding over what had happened, had he? No, while she was worrying about him, he was having _fun_ with his brothers.

"He should be back as soon as the sun sets," Murakami went on. "Do you want to wait for him?"

"No, thanks. Tell him… no, don't tell him anything. He has my number anyways."

Murakami heard the bitterness in her tone and reached towards her, his arm landing on her shoulder.

"Karai. He was really upset last night. Don't be too harsh on him."

"He was upset?" Karai's voice was hesitant.

"Yes. Besides, he has a new cell phone and probably forgot to bring the old one." Murakami didn't precise that his son had been unconscious at the time. The poor turtle couldn't have thought about anything. The cook didn't want to worry Karai more than she already was or to make her angry at Leonardo's brothers. His son didn't need that on top of the rest. "Do you want his new phone number?"

Karai crossed her arms.

"He has a new phone and he didn't bother to tell me about it?"

She would have been furious, but… _He was really upset? More so than the night before? Why?_

"No," she answered Murakami's question, compromising with herself. "But I'll leave him a note."

* * *

Leonardo slowed down as he came nearer to his father's noodle shop. Behind him, his brothers adapted to his pace. They had insisted on coming with him, and Leonardo was grateful for that.

He had spent a wonderful day in their company, but now that he was heading home, he felt his earlier anxiety resurface.

_What am I going to tell Karai?_

Before they left the lair, Splinter had again stated clearly that telling Karai the truth wasn't a viable option. However, Leonardo felt very uneasy at the idea of lying to his life-long friend. Splinter had tried to talk to him in private, but Leonardo had maneuvered for avoiding it and the giant rat hadn't tried to force him.

Leonardo opened the door to his home, and he immediately froze. Something was amiss. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was terribly, awfully amiss.

"Father?" He called softly.

There was no answer, which was concerning. Frowning, Leonardo turned on the light.

And gasped in shock.

The noodle shop was a mess, with kitchen utensils scattered everywhere, knocked over stools and even…

_Blood?_

Indeed, a trail of blood droplets lead from the counter to approximately half of the room, where whoever had been cut must have bandaged the injury.

"What the shell happened here?" Raphael shouted behind him, immediately drawing his sai.

"My father," Leonardo choked. "Where is he?"

He quickly checked the other rooms, but nobody was there and the furniture was undisturbed. When he came back to the main room, he sent his brothers a panicked glance.

Michelangelo grabbed his shoulders.

"Leo, breathe. I'm sure there is an explanation to this mess."

"They left a note," Donatello said shakily, pointing at a paper folded in four on the counter.

Leonardo picked it up with trembling hands and unfolded it.

He immediately recognized Karai's handwriting.

' _I was there and you weren't. Can't call you – and it's all your fault.'_

Leonardo blinked. The message made no sense.

"It's from Karai. I don't understand," he said.

His brothers had been reading over his shoulder.

"Me neither," Michelangelo frowned. "She seems to be a rather wild girl, but kidnapping your father because you missed each other? It makes no sense."

Donatello tilted his head.

"Look, something is written on the other side."

Leonardo turned the note over.

' _Your daddy is waiting for you. Don't be late,'_ with an address scribbled below.

Leonardo crumpled the paper and threw it, anger replacing his shock. Who had dared to kidnap an old, blind man?

He picked up a knife at random and turned round, ready to run to the indicated place and rescue his father.

Raphael swiftly blocked his path.

"Leo, what the shell are you doing?"

He pointed at the knife.

"Do you even know how to use this in a real fight?"

"Raph, get out of my way. I need to go help my father," Leonardo replied, avoiding to answer that no, he had no idea of what he was going to do with the knife. But he didn't want to go entirely disarmed to his father's rescue.

Now would have been the perfect time to use some ninja training. Why had Karai always refused to teach him?

His red-clad brother shook his head.

"Of course you need to," he grumbled. "But you have to get your act together. You can't just run into their trap!"

"We need a plan," Donatello added, smoothing the note out and taking his T-phone to have a look at the given address while talking. "To begin with, have you any idea of who could have done this? Maybe you could call Karai and ask her. She might very well be the last person who saw Murakami in this room."

" _We_?" Leonardo asked, his brain frozen at the first word of Donatello's speech.

At his side, Michelangelo took his nunchucks and swirled them with a dark expression, looking every inch the dangerous ninja.

"You're not doing this alone, Leo," he stated matter-of-factly. "You've got us now."


	17. Disrupted

Karai was scouting a dead-end filled with garbage, as she had been ordered to by Bradford. Her temporary leader had assured her that he had heard something suspicious and he wanted her to thoroughly search the filthy place.

_It was probably only a street cat. If there was anything at all._

The kunoichi couldn't help thinking that Bradford was messing with her.

_He must believe I'm responsible for the flowerpot incident. Which is true, of course, but it's not the point. He can't prove it._

Karai went deeper into the alleyway and wrinkled her nose in disgust. Had people no shame? What were garbage cans for, in their opinion?

At least she was alone for a while. She took her cell phone and quickly checked it.

Her eyes widened. She had received three calls in the last four minutes.

_Caller ID unknown._

Which meant it could only be Leo.

_No news for two days and now you're harassing me?_

Karai was almost tempted not to call back. Almost. If she immediately did instead of waiting for a few more hours, it was mainly because he had left no messages and she was curious. Not because she was worried, of course not.

"Hi, Leo," she began. "So you've finally seen my note, hmm? Took you long enough, and… WHAT?"

On the other end of the line, Leonardo had finally been able to get a word in edgeways.

"Your father has been _kidnapped_? Who on earth did that?"

Karai tightened her grip on the phone.

"No, I have no idea! No, the Foot have nothing to do with that, I would have known!"

The kunoichi kicked a tin can.

"Listen, Leo, don't do anything stupid. Are you alone right now? No? Good," she sighed in relief.

For once, Karai was grateful for Leonardo's brothers' existence.

"I'm coming. I'm not exactly close by, but… The docks? Yes, it would be closer… Alright…"

Karai tapped her thigh anxiously.

"Leo, wait for me. Whoever did that is dangerous. You're not match for them!"

She listened to Leonardo's angry reply and shook her head.

"Be reasonable," she pleaded. "I'll be right here."

Hanging up, Karai turned around. She should have asked for Bradford's permission, but he would have been too happy to deny her request.

_I'm going to be in deep trouble when this is over,_ she sighed, running to the nearest fire escape to go through the rooftops.

But there was no escaping it. Her friend needed her.

* * *

Leonardo hung up, relieved. At least Karai had nothing to do with his father's disappearance.

"She will meet us there," he told the others. "Let's go."

Raphael nodded.

"I'll fetch Casey and meet you at the docks too."

"Do you think we need more people? I could ask the other mutants," Michelangelo offered.

Leonardo shook his head. He had cooled down a little and was again able to think coldly. In fact, he was thinking faster and more detachedly than ever. It was as if his emotions were locked up, leaving his mind free to focus on the matter at hand.

"They have my father as hostage. We can't come in numbers, Mikey. I'm pretty sure they want me to come alone…"

"So they can kidnap you, too?" Raphael snorted. "I don't see it happening."

Michelangelo crossed his arms and glared at Leonardo. A suggestion this stupid didn't deserve an answer.

"Guys," Donatello suddenly said, raising his head from his T-phone screen for the first time since he had buried himself in mysterious genius business. "I think I know who kidnapped Murakami."

"Really?" Leonardo exclaimed, clenching his fists. "Who?"

Donatello shook his head in disgust.

"The address you've been given on the docks… It's a Purple Dragons' warehouse."

Leonardo frowned. He had never heard that name before, but from Raphael and Michelangelo's concerned looks, he guessed that it wasn't good news.

"Why would the Purple Dragons want you?" Raphael exclaimed, perplexed. "Did you cross them since your arrival in New York?"

"No," Leonardo answered, shaking his head. "Who are they?"

"A street gang that Raph and Casey regularly beat up," Michelangelo supplied.

"They haven't been much of a challenge lately," Raphael added.

"Which is strange, considering they have access to dangerous alien technology," Donatello said, worried. "I'm calling April, just in case."

"What do you think they want? A ransom?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo shook his head.

"We're not rich. Besides, nobody is supposed to know that I exist."

"I don't like this," Donatello muttered. "This is exactly the kind of situation which is bound to end up in disaster."

His brother glared at him and Donatello blushed. Maybe it hadn't been the best way to phrase it.

"If it does end up in disaster, it will be for them," Leonardo said fiercely. "I'm getting my father back."

* * *

At the docks, Leonardo anxiously watched the warehouse where is father was currently a prisoner.

_Except if they took him somewhere else and this place is a decoy,_ he thought darkly.

Raphael had fetched Casey and April and the three of them had made it to the meeting place in record time. Now they were waiting for Karai and drawing up plans.

"They are using Kraang technology inside," April whispered. "I can feel it."

"We could enter through the back," Donatello suggested. "By picking the lock."

"I don't care how we enter, as long as we bust some heads," Casey offered, swinging his hockey stick.

"Don't worry, Casey, it's always part of the plan," Raphael said, smiling evilly.

"Not until we get Leo's dad out of here, you don't," Michelangelo interjected, hands on his hips. "You two behave. We have a guest tonight."

"Are you referring to me?"

The four turtles and two humans turned around to watch the young kunoichi leap gracefully over the pile of containers behind which they were hiding.

Despite his frantic worry and confusion at the whole situation – how had a New York street gang learned about him so fast, why would they want to hurt him and his father? – Leonardo smiled at the familiar sight.

If he had felt mad at her for not telling him sooner about his brothers' existence, it seemed a petty grudge in front of his father's kidnapping.

"Hello, Karai," he told her warmly. "I'm glad you came."

"Don't mention it," Karai grumbled, pulling him in a fierce embrace without warning. Then she turned to the other people present, keeping a possessive arm around his shoulders – something she never did. Leonardo rolled his eyes.

"You are well supported, I see," she said casually.

"You already know my brothers, and these are April and Casey. April, Casey, this is Karai, my lifelong friend."

Karai's gaze lingered over the two humans. She pouted doubtfully.

"Although I'm grateful that you want to help, I must remind you that people who don't mind kidnapping a blind man won't mind hurting teenagers."

April crossed her arms, cut to the quick.

"Aren't you a teenager yourself?"

Karai grinned threateningly to her.

"That's different, dear. I'm especially gifted."

"So am I," April retorted, blushing.

Casey turned to one girl, then to the other, before taking a step backwards to better admire the scene.

"What girls they are," he whispered to Raphael, who punched him lightly.

"So, what's the plan?" Karai asked, flashing Casey a smile.

The boy flushed.

"Uh, well… we were discussing it…"

Karai advanced towards him and seized the end of his hockey stick, pretending to examine it.

"That's your weapon? An interesting choice. Although not very conventional."

Karai's predatory proximity was making Casey nervous. In a not entirely unpleasant way.

"Uh… thanks," he managed to answer.

Karai winked at him and let go of his hockey stick, enjoying April's glare. Then the kunoichi's expression darkened.

"Alright. What do you know about this place?"

Donatello glanced hesitantly at her, then at Leonardo, who nodded.

"It belongs to the Purple Dragons. It's a street gang who… but maybe you already know them?"

Karai's eyes had widened at the name.

"Yes," she spat. "We met their leader – Hun – yesterday. Why would he kidnap the owner of a noodle shop? No offense, Leo, but he's not exactly ransoming material."

"It's Leo they want," Michelangelo explained. "Although we don't understand why."

Karai frowned.

"Leo? Why? He's no threat to them."

Leonardo blushed and crossed his arms.

"Thanks," he muttered.

She patted his arm lightly.

"Sorry, Leo. Some people just own more power than others."

Donatello watched her closely, frowning.

"Yes… You're right."

Leonardo glared at him.

"Thanks for the support, Donnie."

"I mean," Donatello went on, unfazed by the interruption, "you are someone important in the Foot, right?"

Karai tilted her head.

"Well, yes. I suppose you could say that I'm high-ranked. I hope you don't mind, sweetie," she winked at April, who seemed on the verge to knock her out with her bare hands.

"Then maybe they don't care as much about hurting Leo than about hurting you," Donatello explained.

Karai's cheeky attitude immediately disappeared, replaced by shock, then by cold realization. And finally, by plain anger.

"Bradford…" She spat. "Would he fall so low?"

She hurriedly turned to Leonardo.

"Leo, I swear I had no idea something like this would happen."

"I know, Karai," Leonardo answered. "It's not your fault."

"Like shell it's not," Raphael grumbled, and Michelangelo elbowed him.

"In any case," Karai said, her cold tone making the others shiver, "they will regret what they have done to Murakami. Here is my plan."

* * *

Karai's plan was simple. At first, the others hadn't been very happy that she had taken over, but she was the most experienced with planning in the group and therefore the most suited to preserve Murakami's safety.

Leonardo hated her plan, because it left him with very little to do.

He had tried to assert that he was stealthy enough not to be seen and could go with them, but Karai had been adamant.

"It's too dangerous, Leo. We may have to fight our way out. You don't have any fighting experience – and no, wrestling doesn't count when people have weapons. You would only disturb us. Besides, if they catch you, they won't have any reason to keep your father alive."

This was the only reason Leonardo had accepted it.

The four ninja of the group – aka herself and Leonardo's brothers – would infiltrate the warehouse from behind, while Leonardo and the two humans would stay outside.

If they could find a way to free Murakami without endangering him, they would do it. Otherwise, they would come back to the others and follow Plan B.

This plan had Raphael's preference. He and Casey would create a diversion, hopefully leading as many Purple Dragons out of the warehouse as possible, while Karai, Donatello and Michelangelo took down the remaining thugs and freed Murakami.

April was left behind in both plans, and she hated it as much as Leonardo did. But she could tell how the only non-ninja turtle was upset, and she couldn't help thinking that it wasn't a good idea to leave him behind on his own. So she didn't protest.

Before they left, Michelangelo hugged Leonardo tightly.

"Don't worry, bro," he whispered in his ear. "We'll be back in no time. We'll save your dad the chef, and then we can properly meet him. I love him already."

* * *

The four ninja were indeed back soon, but not with Murakami. The warehouse was crawling with Purple Dragons.

"We need that diversion," Karai said. "I hope you're as good as you pretend to be, Casey."

Casey had been overjoyed.

"Oh yeah! Time for Plan B! Casey Jones is on the move!"

After that, it wasn't long until the sounds of a brawl echoed in the night. As far as Leonardo could tell, Karai's plan was working: Purple Dragons were leaving the warehouse to see what was happening, and didn't come back.

The warehouse itself was still silent. As minutes passed by, Leonardo regretted more and more having agreed on Karai's plan.

"That's ridiculous," he muttered. "It's my father. I should be inside with them."

April put a soothing hand on his arm.

"It's for the best, Leo," she answered. "They have a training you don't."

"I'm really stealthy," Leonardo retorted. "The Purple Dragons wouldn't have seen me. I wouldn't have had to fight."

"You don't know that for sure."

April sighed.

"Leo, believe me when I tell you I know how you feel. I've had to witness my father pander to Stockman's every whim in order to protect me. For months, I've been powerless to help him."

Leonardo watched her in the eye.

"My brothers told me the story," he said softly. "In the end, my counterpart helped you, right?"

April smiled fondly at the memory.

"Yes. He was really something."

Leonardo's expression darkened, and April hugged him.

"You are also something, in a different way. That's a good thing, Leo. Nobody asks you to be someone else."

Leonardo sighed.

"I know you're right. But it still feels strange."

Before April could answer, her phone beeped.

"It's Donnie," she said, reading the text. "He's waiting for me on the other side. Apparently, they need my help with Kraang technology."

April couldn't help feeling proud. So Karai hadn't been able to resolve whatever problem there was, had she?

"I'll come with you," Leonardo said anxiously.

His own phone beeped at this exact moment. It was a text from Donatello.

'No you don't.'

Leonardo bit his lip. Obviously, Donatello had anticipated his comment.

"Come on!" He exclaimed. "I can't be the only one left behind!"

Four new beeps and four new texts.

'Don't even think about it,' from Raphael.

'Don't worry Leo, I'll give them a couple of hits from you,' from Casey.

'Everything is under control, bro!' From Michelangelo.

'Remember, Murakami is safe as long as you're not here,' from Karai.

Leonardo moaned and April patted his shell soothingly before taking her leave.

* * *

More hour-long minutes passed, and Leonardo had no news. Doing nothing was becoming harder and harder now that April wasn't here to keep him company.

It left him with plenty of time to worry about the blood he had found on the noodle shop's floor.

_Please, Dad, please be okay._

Then suddenly, the warehouse seemed to burst in shouts and loud clatters.

Leonardo's eyes widened and he unconsciously came closer.

And there, in one of the windows, was a shadow he would have recognized everywhere.

_Dad!_

Under his desperate eyes, his father was put through the window and left to hang in the void.

Then the blind cook was dropped and began falling to the ground.

"No!" Leonardo shouted, but his plea went ignored in all the noise.

Given the warehouse's height, Murakami wasn't going to… he couldn't…

Leonardo ran faster, as if there was something he could do now.

And then, just before his father hit the ground, a chain coiled around him and stopped his fall.

His head was only inches from the concrete.

"Dad," Leonardo choked.

He could see that his father was struggling. So he was alive.

He was alive!

In the window above him, Leonardo heard someone roaring.

"You're going to pay for that!"

But the turtle had no time to wonder who was talking to who as he hurried to his father, used his knife to cut his ties and carefully uncoiled the chain, supporting Murakami so that he would land as softly as possible and all the while talking to him.

"Dad, it's me. You're going to be safe now. I've got you."

As soon as his arms were free, Murakami removed the gag that was in his mouth and hugged his son, crying.

"Leonardo. It's you, it's really you. You're alright. I was so worried."

"Yes, Dad. I'm here. Are you injured? There was blood…" Leonardo asked, his voice shaking.

His father stroked his cheek.

"The blood wasn't mine," Murakami whispered. "I tried to defend myself and I think I hurt one of them before being knocked unconscious."

Leonardo hugged him tighter, picturing the scene in his mind. His father, blind and alone, against the Purple Dragons… He shook his head.

"It's over. You're safe now."

Murakami sighed and raised his head to the window he had fallen from.

"But your friends aren't."

* * *

When he had half-carried and half-supported his father to the relative safety of the piles of containers and sent a few messages with his cell phone, including one to warn the rescue party that Murakami was in one piece, Leonardo took a deep breath.

Michelangelo, Donatello, April and Karai hadn't left the warehouse yet, which meant they were in deep trouble.

Time for Plan C.

Plan C was Leonardo's personal back-up plan and was to be used as a last resort. Its main idea was 'meet the bad guy and make him talk to buy the others time'. The rest was left to improvisation.

Needless to say he hadn't talked about it with the others.

Yeah. Leonardo was pretty sure that everyone else would have labeled it a very, very bad plan.

But the two previous plans hadn't worked, had they?

And Leonardo certainly wasn't going to leave his brothers and friends behind.

Taking a deep breath, the determined turtle advanced towards the warehouse. He raised his arms as soon as he saw the two Purple Dragons guarding the entrance. They hadn't taken part in the fight.

"I wish to talk to Hun," Leonardo told them casually.

Now that he was taking matters in his own hands, he was feeling oddly calm.

Widening his eyes, one of the Purple Dragons ran inside while the other pointed a knife at him, recoiling in terror.

"Stay away from me!"

Obviously, he had met the other Leonardo. Maybe Leonardo could use that to his advantage.

"I just want to go inside," he said in a friendly way.

"Then do… do it!" The Purple Dragon shouted, and Leonardo obeyed.

Just in time to see the first Purple Dragon point at him with a shaky finger, while a very angry man ran towards him.

_It must be Hun._

"Hello," Leonardo said politely. "Do you want to talk?"

"YOU!" Hun roared. What a rude man. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!"


	18. Chaos

Leonardo couldn't help feeling exasperated.

Was there anyone in this city who hadn't already met his counterpart? This was getting annoying.

"I'LL REDUCE YOU TO A PULP! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!"

"What are you talking about? Do you need a scapegoat so badly?" Leonardo tried.

"I'M NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES WITH YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ON THE SPOT!"

Okay, obviously Plan C – C for Chatting - wasn't going to work.

Time for Plan D.

D for Disappearing In The Shadows. All that Leonardo needed were a few seconds out of Hun's sight.

Too bad the Purple Dragons' leader had his eyes set on him.

* * *

Hun was losing control.

After the events having led to his previous master's disappearance, Hun had developed an even stronger dislike for mutants in general and turtles in particular.

So of course, when Bradford had told him that the girl he wanted to get back at had a turtle mutant friend, Hun had been all too happy to approve of his plan.

Kidnapping the blind man had been easy enough, although one of his men had been hurt in the process. How he could have failed to avoid the blow of someone who couldn't see was beyond Hun's understanding.

The arrival of the two Turtles – the purple and orange ones - had been unexpected, but welcome. With the weaponry he possessed, Hun had been certain he would dispose of them quickly. However, the Foot girl had been there too, and Hun had strict orders not to hurt her. This made matters more complicated.

Then the red-haired girl had come, and his beloved weapons had begun to malfunction.

Where was the world heading if even alien technology couldn't be trusted?

He had immediately ordered to his men to attack her before anyone else. However, the purple turtle and the kunoichi had been doing a great job of protecting her.

The more he thought about it and the more Hun agreed with Bradford. That Foot girl was really annoying.

Even threatening the blind cook hadn't worked. When Hun had followed through with his threat, the orange turtle had managed to stop the hostage's fall.

And now, another mutant turtle had arrived, one that Hun held personally responsible for his current problems.

He had neither a mask nor leather straps around his shell, but it was him, no doubt.

Nobody had heard of that particular turtle in months, and here he was. Foolishly disarmed.

Hun wasn't going to miss his chance.

* * *

Michelangelo couldn't believe his ears. Despite all the Purple Dragons fighting, he had heard a voice that almost sounded like…

"Leo?" He choked.

Michelangelo had never been as relieved as when he had failed to hear the bump of Murakami's body splashing on the ground, meaning that the kusarigama-wielding turtle had managed to save him from a certain death.

Of course, Hun hadn't been too happy about that, and Michelangelo had been unable to come close enough to the window to see how Murakami was doing. Fortunately, Leonardo's message proved that the blind cook was safe and sound.

The two Purple Dragons he had hugged in relief before knocking them probably hadn't understood his reaction.

All they had to do now was leave the place. Which was becoming difficult, considering that April was trapped behind a tide of thugs with only Karai at her side, while Michelangelo was protecting Donatello who tried to hack a Kraang gun – but all they needed was some more time.

Except apparently, Leonardo was here now.

Would his brother really have done something as stupid as turning himself in?

Michelangelo exchanged a dismayed glance with Donatello.

* * *

Karai was fighting the Purple Dragons on the passageway protected by a railing that was the warehouse's second floor when she heard Leonardo's voice.

She would have frozen in disbelief if she hadn't been fighting for her life – and April's.

_You idiot. I told you to stay put!_

Behind her, the red-haired girl lost her concentration for a second and a pink blast grazed her heads.

"Pay attention!" Karai shouted, irritated.

"I'm doing what I can!" April shouted back, making a Kraang gun explode in retaliation. "Was that Leo? Why would he be here?"

Her face was pale with worry.

"I don't know!"

Karai jumped and kicked two Purple Dragons in the face.

"But he doesn't stand a chance! We have to help him!"

April nodded.

"Go! For some reason, they're not attacking you as violently as the rest of us," she suggested, her fists clenched.

Karai turned to look at her with a determined expression.

"And letting you be a martyr? No way," she answered.

April smiled wryly. As insufferable as Karai was, it looked like she was also reliable.

"Then let's find a way to give these guys the slip."

* * *

As Hun ran to him in a rage, Leonardo wondered briefly if that was how you felt when being charged at by a mad rhinoceros.

_He sure looks like an enraged beast._

Leonardo took a brief look at his surroundings. He needed a weapon of some sort. He didn't think that his knife would do the trick.

Unfortunately for him, there were only wooden crates and covering sheets in the area.

_Too bad. Except if…_ Leonardo tilted his head. _Worth a try._

Grasping one of the covering sheets, he waved it at Hun.

"You're really looking like a bull, you know," he teased him.

Hun roared louder, and came closer, closer, and...

"Olé!"

At the last second, Leonardo slid to the side, letting go of the covering sheet so that it would cover Hun's eyes.

The leader of the Purple Dragons crashed in a wooden crate with an outraged shout. The other thugs present watched him, not daring to come close to him when he was obviously in a killing fury.

Hun didn't need their help anyways. He was already pulling off the sheet and turning round, ready to _trample_ on this insolent mutant…

But Leonardo was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Donatello was working as fast as he could on the Kraang weapon. He had recovered blueprints from Stockman, and he had a vague idea of how the blasted blasting thing worked.

He and Michelangelo were cornered, and they really needed the added power fire. Especially if they wanted to be of any use to Leonardo.

Donatello started when he heard the crash.

"What is it? What is it? Is it Leo? Please tell me it's not Leo," he said in a voice frantic with worry.

Michelangelo was jumping like a wild kangaroo in the hope of seeing something above the Purple Dragons' heads.

"I don't think so," he answered. "It looks like Hun ran into a wooden crate. What a strange idea. How are you doing, bro?" He added, swirling his nunchucks to keep the thugs at bay.

"Not so well," Donatello gritted. "April's powers have disabled the key component. If I had another gun like this one, I could combine them and bypass it, but…"

"That's what you're seeking?"

Michelangelo and Donatello turned, stunned, to see a hanging-from-the-wall Leonardo hand his purple-clad brother another Kraang weapon with a bright smile.

"Leo!" Michelangelo shouted, knocking out a Purple Dragon who had poorly thought that he wasn't paying attention to him. "You're okay!"

Donatello took the gun, resisting the urge to slap his foolish brother. Or to hug him, he wasn't sure.

"You won't stay it for long if you remain here," he told him. "Go away!"

"Not without you guys," Leonardo said determinedly. "See you later!"

"Leonardo…" Donatello began, but his brother was already gone.

"Nice trick," Michelangelo admired, giving his full attention to their opponents again.

* * *

Hun stopped running. It was leading him nowhere.

He needed a plan.

He was beginning to understand that this turtle wasn't the same than the one he had met before. He didn't move in the same way, and he hadn't tried to fight him head on.

_Maybe a twin?_ Hun wondered. Not that it mattered. He would destroy him all the same, if only because the turtle had managed to make him crash into a stupid wooden crate, he, the great Hun.

At least this particular crate was filled with good old-fashioned weapons.

Hun weighed up his brand-new rifle.

What had Bradford said? That the mutant was a lifelong friend of the kunoichi?

So much for not hurting her, then.

_You'll come out of hiding when you hear her shouts,_ he thought with satisfaction, moving to the place where April and Karai stood their ground.

* * *

Karai was fighting with renewed energy and she was beginning to hope that she and April would soon break their opponent's circle.

When Hun came at them like a bull, roaring insanities.

With a not-Kraang rifle in his hands.

"April," Karai began, "can you…"

"No," April answered, turning pale.

The Purple Dragons were giving way to their leader.

"Sorry, princess," Hun spat. "It's not your lucky day."

Karai straightened when she realized that he was talking to her. Should she move to the right or to the left? In both cases, she would leave April in Hun's line of fire.

Hun grinned like crazy, coming closer to her.

Then he stumbled on something she couldn't see and crashed on the floor.

Karai took the opportunity and grasped April's hand, jumping over the fallen man and hurrying to the first floor.

When she realized what Hun had tripped over. Or more precisely, whom.

* * *

_Ouch._

Leonardo's whole body was hurting. Throwing himself between Hun's legs might not have been the best of ideas, but it was all he could think of when he saw him point a rifle at Karai.

"Leo!" Karai shouted.

"Hi, Karai," Leonardo said cheerfully to reassure her. "See how well I listened to you? I didn't come here until my dad was safe."

"Leo," Karai repeated, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I'm going to strangle you!"

"No need to, girl," Hun cooed, grabbing Leonardo's shell and shaking him as if he was a rag doll. "I'll do it for you."

"Hello there," Leonardo tried. "I think we started off on the wrong foot…"

"LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!"

There was a pink blast from behind, coming from a Kraang gun held by a very, very angry-looking Donatello, and Hun froze, his muscles paralyzed. The Purple Dragons leader began slowly bending forwards.

"No… No…" Leonardo said, looking at the ground coming closer and closer.

He didn't exactly want to be crushed under Hun's weight, but he couldn't get free of his grasp.

"Leo!" April shouted, immediately understanding what was happening. Hun's fingers were paralyzed like the rest of his body and he couldn't let go of Leonardo. Focusing, she reversed the Kraang gun's effect in Hun's fingers and groaned. Her head was beginning to spin with all the effort.

"Thanks, April," Leonardo said, jumping away just in time.

_That's the second time he crashes because of me tonight,_ he thought. _This is not going to help our relationship._

"It's a short-term effect," Donatello shouted, blasting at every Purple Dragon in sight until his gun fell out of power and he discarded it with a grunt. "Let's go!"

Michelangelo nodded sharply and grabbed Leonardo's arm to lead him away and prevent him from endangering himself further. Karai noticed that April didn't look so well and supported her. The four of them followed Donatello to the first floor.

There were less Purple Dragons there than before, although they were also armed with classical weapons now. It could have been a problem if they hadn't been falling like leaves, flattened by something that resembled a red storm.

"Raph!" Michelangelo exclaimed, delighted, before lending his brother a helpful fist. "But where is Casey?"

"He stayed with Murakami," the red storm answered. "We finished our Dragons when we received Leonardo's text. Speaking of which…"

Raphael turned to Leonardo and pointed a shaky sai at him.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? YOU IDIOT!"

You could have thought that the middle of a fight wasn't a right place to yell at your sibling, especially when you were busy destroying dangerous weapons and punching and kicking thugs. Yes, you could have thought that, if you weren't Raphael.

"It was all part of my plan," Leonardo protested. "The others needed help."

"What the shell were you thinking? What kind of plan involves getting yourself killed?" Raphael went on, oblivious to Leonardo's explanation.

He was still ranting when he knocked out the last Purple Dragon and everyone fled the building.


	19. Consequences

The adrenaline in Leonardo's body was beginning to fade and he felt exhausted. He was in no state to defend himself against anyone or anything, if only a butterfly.

So he clearly wasn't fit for confronting Karai, who was right now glaring at him, arms crossed.

"Please, Leo," she said, far too calmly. "Please explain to me that amazing plan of yours. I don't think I understood its subtleties."

It didn't help that Leonardo's father was sitting right behind her and listening intently.

Leonardo groaned. He had told his father that he was going to have a look at the situation. Not that he would be a rescue party for the rescue party. _I'm in so much trouble._

"You needed help. I bought you time."

Nearby, Leonardo's brothers, April and Casey were watching the scene with interest. They had been hugging him just a few seconds ago, and Leonardo had almost hoped that he wouldn't get an earful again, but that hope had been short-lived.

"And almost got yourself killed in the process," Donatello added mercilessly, making Murakami flinch. "So I want to emphasize, and even if I guess you _were_ helpful in your own way…"

He used his bo staff to poke his brother's plastron. Carefully – Donatello didn't want to hurt him – but decisively.

"Don't. Do. It. Ever. Again."

Next to him, Raphael and Michelangelo nodded but stayed quiet, Raphael because he had already exhausted his list of synonyms for 'stupid' and Michelangelo because he kind of felt bad for his brother. After all, it was only to be expected that Leonardo would have wanted to help them, especially after they rescued his father. The orange-clad turtle offered his brother an encouraging smile.

"For once, we agree," Karai added.

Leonardo shrugged sulkily. He could have told them that he didn't regret a thing, but he assumed that it wasn't a very good idea.

Karai rolled her eyes, reading his expression as if he was an open book.

"Seriously, Leo. You have to be more careful."

"You're one to talk," Leonardo muttered.

Michelangelo decided it was time to cut him some slack and interjected.

"Don't you think we should head home? I suppose the police will be here soon."

Leonardo sent him a grateful glance and nodded.

"Yeah, about that…" Donatello hesitated, before glancing at Leonardo and Murakami. "I don't think you two can go back to your home right now. Hun will certainly want to avenge himself, and he knows where you live."

"What do you suggest, my friend?" Murakami asked.

"You can go back to the lair with us tonight. We'll make plans tomorrow."

"I'll come with you," Karai interjected. "I'm curious to see where you three live."

Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo exchanged awkward glances. Leonardo blinked at his friend, suddenly remembering everything he had learned about her the night before. He had completely forgotten about it during the whole ordeal. But now, it seemed a very bad idea to bring Karai to Hamato Yoshi when he had clearly stated that she couldn't learn the truth. At least not now.

"Uh… I… I don't k-know if it's a good idea," Leonardo stuttered.

Karai's eyes widened and she crossed her arms in disbelief.

"And why not?"

"Because… because it's not a suitable place for human girls."

Karai spun to April.

"Have you already been there?"

The red-haired girl nodded to the kunoichi who had spent the last hour protecting her, perplexed. What game was Leonardo playing?

Karai turned back to Leonardo and lifted an eyebrow.

"You'll have to find something better."

"Uh… Well… I…"

Leonardo turned to his brothers for help, but they remained cowardly silent. Letting him take the heat alone.

Sure, Karai was _his_ lifelong friend, but still… He would have welcomed some help. _Any help._

"Let me help you," Karai supplied as if on cue, coming dangerously closer to him until she looked him straight in the eye. "What about, I don't know… telling me the truth?"

Leonardo opened his mouth and closed it like a fish out of water. Not wanting to tell her the truth and not wanting to lie to her.

"Leonardo… What are you hiding from me?" Karai gritted.

"It's nothing, really," he finally said in a ridiculously high-pitched voice.

Karai shook her head, obviously not buying it. She was about to say something more threatening to his friend when she suddenly spun.

Everyone stared at her.

"I've got to check something," she whispered. "I'll be right back. Don't move."

Then she jumped over the pile of containers and disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Casey asked.

"No idea," Raphael answered, shaking his head before turning to Leonardo.

"Wow, Leo. You're the worst liar I've ever seen," he stated.

"And I thought Donnie was bad," Michelangelo topped it.

"Hey!" Donatello exclaimed.

Leonardo blushed.

"S-she's my best friend. I-it's a breach of trust," he defended himself.

"I think it's cute," April interjected, putting a soothing hand on Leonardo's arm. "But what's going on here, guys?"

"Yeah, you were acting really weird," Casey added. "I know we had a rather harsh encounter with her clan, but she's different, right?"

Donatello sighed. With everything going on, they had had no time to tell them about the last developments.

"Let's just say Karai has a complicated past."

"Did you tell them about my past, Leo?"

Leonardo spun. Karai was back, and she looked really angry.

"I… I can explain."

"You better do a more convincing job than before," she answered, her eyes narrowed to slits. "But not right now. My father will be here soon."

"WHAT?" The four turtles exclaimed.

"Hush! I've seen a Foot scout, and he's part of my father's elite guard. I can only guess Bradford told on me. Anyways, you've got to go, now! This way," she said, pointing out the direction opposite to the one they had been coming from.

Leonardo hesitated, sensing her hidden distress.

"Are you in trouble, Karai?"

"No more than you are when we meet again," she eluded before punching his arm lightly.

She waved at everyone.

"See you later, guys. Goodnight, Murakami-san."

Then she disappeared again.

"We should better listen to her," Donatello whispered, growing pale. "We don't want the Shredder to find us here."

"We don't want the Shredder to find us, ever," Michelangelo corrected.

"Let's go, then," Raphael whispered, leading the way.

Leonardo came closer to his sitting father.

"Let me help you," he offered in a small voice.

Murakami put his left arm around his son's shoulders and squished his cheek with the other.

"Dad," Leonardo protested, blushing, while everyone else grinned.

"You and I are going to have a long talk later on," Murakami whispered sternly in his son's ear. Leonardo grimaced.

"I can help too," Michelangelo suggested, coming closer. "The way to our home isn't exactly easy."

Murakami nodded and allowed him to take his right arm.

"Thank you. You're the one who saved my life, aren't you? I'm in your debt."

Michelangelo beamed.

"Not at all! Thanks to you for taking care of my brother for so long."

"Although he's making it more and more difficult."

"Dad, I'm right here," Leonardo sighed.

As they got away from the warehouse and the Foot, leaving Karai to her fate, Michelangelo tilted a curious head.

"So, how was Leo as a child? What kind of trouble was he in?"

"Mikey!" Leonardo protested.

"Well, he wasn't a difficult child," Murakami answered, taking pleasure in teasing his son and enjoying the opportunity to release his stress. "With a few exceptions. For example, a few years ago, he…"

"Daaad!"

* * *

"Karai."

Karai kept her head bowed, not daring to look at her father right now. She did, however, glare at Bradford who was watching her with a very smug expression.

Her father had sent Foot soldiers inside the warehouse to investigate. Despite her precarious position right now, Karai didn't envy Hun's.

Shredder's voice had never been colder when addressing her.

"Bradford told me you deserted. What do you have to say in your defense?"

"Father, I… I was needed here," Karai answered.

"Explain. Now."

"I…"

Karai bit her lip. Too many witnesses had seen what had happened tonight. She couldn't lie.

"I was helping a friend. His father had been kidnapped by the Purple Dragons – apparently because Bradford ordered it," she spat.

Chris Bradford wasn't the only one who could be a telltale.

Shredder sent his minion a questioning look, and the Foot soldier grew paler. Obviously, he had conveniently left out this detail.

"I'll get to the bottom of this later," he said threateningly to him before turning back to his daughter. "Karai, I thought I made myself clear. It's the second time you're neglecting your duties because of your so-called _friend_!"

"There won't be a third time," Karai whispered.

"Indeed, because you're relieved of your duties in the Foot until further notice. I think a sojourn in Japan will do you great good. The Foot Boot Camp always welcomes new recruits."

Karai's eyes widened. Being exiled in Japan, when Leonardo had just arrived in New York? It couldn't be!

"Father, please, no! You can't!" She desperately pleaded.

An unwise choice of words. The Shredder narrowed his eyes at his daughter and she fought not to recoil.

She wasn't used to see him like this. At least not towards her.

"I _can't_?"

"No, Master, I… I didn't mean that."

Shredder nodded.

"Give me your phone. You're not going to need it."

Karai obeyed and watched helplessly her cell phone being crushed under her father's foot.

"My private jet is ready to take off. You're leaving tonight."


	20. Offer

Murakami was walking slowly in the sewers, guided by Leonardo. His son was silent, and his grip on Murakami's arm was tightening as they came closer to his brothers' home.

Where his first father was no doubt waiting for them. Murakami wondered how he was – he had already learned that his name was Splinter and that although once human, he was now a giant rat.

And he was a ninja master.

It was Michelangelo who had supplied this new information about Splinter, and Murakami didn't know how he felt about that. From what he had experienced tonight, Leonardo's brothers led a dangerous life. Not exactly the kind of life he had hoped for his son.

His son who had always wanted to be a ninja.

_I thought he wanted to be like Karai. But maybe it was also a reminiscence of his past._

Murakami wondered if Leonardo would lower his guard enough to acknowledge it. His son hadn't objected to going back to his brothers' home, so the blind cook assumed he didn't think anymore that Splinter was a murderer.

But if he was to believe Leonardo's grip, his son still had issues with the father who had lost him.

_It's not surprising,_ Murakami thought sadly. _But it's quickly going to become a problem if we are to live under the same roof._

"We're almost there," Michelangelo said. "It's behind the next corner."

Murakami nodded. He would soon be able to rest, and for that he was grateful.

He felt the change in the atmosphere – somehow, the sewers stench almost disappeared here, leaving place to mixed scents of oil, tea, coffee, and dusty furniture.

"There are turnstiles," Leonardo whispered.

_Turnstiles?_

Then his sensitive sense of smell detected an unmistakable rat scent.

"Welcome to our home," a deep, rich voice said.

Murakami immediately liked it.

* * *

Splinter had been informed of the earlier events by Raphael and Donatello.

The two turtles had arrived at the lair in advance with April and Casey, bringing them up to date with Karai's situation. The four of them had tidied up everything they could before Leonardo's blind father came so that Murakami wouldn't trip over a discarded pizza box, a carpet of DVD or an old rag.

The ninja master didn't let his anxiety show as he watched the tired cook in front of him.

_So this is the man who raised my son._

Murakami was smiling at Splinter warmly while Leonardo stayed close to him, his arms crossed and his eyes resolutely set on the floor.

"I'm glad to meet you, even if the circumstances aren't the best," Splinter said. "My sons told me what happened. I offer you my hospitality, and I would like to share tea with you."

Murakami bowed.

"You're very generous. I gratefully accept both offers."

"We can settle down in the dojo. It's this way…" Splinter interrupted himself, suddenly realizing that Murakami couldn't see him wave his hand. "Leonardo, if you would be so kind?"

Without looking at Splinter, Leonardo took Murakami's arm.

"The door is at two o'clock, three meters away," he whispered before leading him inside the dojo. "There is a tree in the middle of the room."

Splinter knelt in front of the tree, his tea tray ready next to him. Murakami and Leonardo knelt in front of him.

"As I said, I am glad to meet you. We have a lot to discuss."

Leonardo muttered something indistinct and Murakami frowned. Obviously, his son had no intention to join in the conversation in any constructive way.

"Leonardo, why don't you go see if you can help your brothers?" The blind cook suggested.

"Are you sure? Why?" The turtle answered uneasily.

"Yes. This way, we can talk in peace and quiet about you," Murakami deadpanned, stroking his cheek fondly.

Leonardo felt his cheeks burn.

"There is nothing to say," he protested weakly.

"On the contrary, my son. Now, please…"

"Fine," Leonardo muttered.

He stood up and left the dojo, but not without sending a concerned glance in Splinter's direction.

Splinter felt his heart ache at seeing how close these two obviously were.

"Please forgive Leonardo," Murakami told him softly. "He's usually very easy-going. I guess he has chosen to show you his more stubborn side."

"I'm not blaming him," Splinter answered, his voice hoarse. "He's an upset teenager."

Murakami leaned forward.

"Indeed. But he's not the only one who has a right to be upset at the situation, is he?"

The cook took his glasses off, his eyes set in Splinter's direction.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he whispered very gently.

Splinter suddenly found himself fighting back his tears. He would never have thought that meeting the gaze of a blind man would be so hard.

* * *

Leonardo was pacing back and forth, making everyone around him nervous.

"Leo, settle down," Donatello finally told him. "You're making me dizzy."

"Easy for you to say," Leonardo retorted, sitting down on the couch with a heavy sigh.

April put her hand on his shoulder.

"Leo, I know you're stressing out. But everything is going to be fine. It's only normal that your fathers would want to speak one-to-one."

"Don't call them that," Leonardo protested weakly.

More weakly than he would have a day ago, which could be interpreted as an encouraging sign.

"You need to take your mind off this," Michelangelo said. "And I know exactly what you could do right now!"

The orange-clad turtle smiled at his brother.

"I want to give your father my bedroom, but it's a bit messy…"

Raphael and Donatello both choked.

" _A bit_?" Donatello said. "Well, you're certainly a master of understatements, Mikey."

"The place is a true battlefield," Raphael snorted.

Michelangelo stuck his tongue out at them.

Leonardo watched him, amused in spite of himself.

"Sure, Mikey. I'll be glad to help you."

* * *

Splinter and Murakami were sharing their third cup of tea. So far, their discussion was extremely fruitful.

"So, what do you think?" Splinter asked. "Do you agree on it?"

Murakami hesitated.

"It's a dangerous life," he whispered.

"He's a mutant turtle. His life will be dangerous, no matter what."

The blind cook sighed.

"I know you're right. And after what happened tonight, I would be reassured to know that he can defend himself. Not to mention it has always been his dream… It's just…"

"He won't want to learn it from me," Splinter said softly, hiding his hurt.

"It's too soon."

Murakami shook his head.

"He believes that you abandoned him," he said as gently as he could in the hope of softening the harshness of these words. Leonardo's words.

"It's not true," Splinter said, heartbroken. "I tried to tell him, but he refused to listen. Maybe it's time to try again."

"And what if he refuses again? You know I can't make him. It would be unfair."

Splinter hesitated for a while.

"I have something that could help," he finally said.

* * *

Leonardo entered the dojo hesitantly.

"Did you wish to see me?"

"Yes, Leonardo," Splinter said. "I have something to offer you."

Leonardo knelt, averting his eyes. Murakami nudged him gently and the turtle bit his lip.

"I'm listening."

Splinter took a deep breath and jumped in.

"You know that your brothers and I are ninja. If you hadn't been lost to us, you would have learned the art of ninjitsu with them. I wish to teach you now."

"No. I'm sorry, but I don't trust you," Leonardo answered hurriedly, even as his eyes widened.

As if he was afraid that his answer would be different if he took the time to think about it.

"You don't have to answer immediately," Splinter said softly. "Take your time."

"I don't need more time. I want nothing from you! You abandoned me!"

Splinter's whiskers shuddered.

"Leonardo, calm down," Murakami said gently but firmly.

"I am calm!" Leonardo all but shouted. "And now you agree on that? I thought you didn't want me to be a ninja!"

"Leonardo, that's enough!" Murakami exclaimed. "I didn't want you to become a member of Karai's clan. Karai herself didn't want you to, you know that."

His son sniffled, obviously upset.

"Leonardo, I didn't abandon you," Splinter told him, his voice on the verge of breaking. "I thought you were dead."

Leonardo shook his head wildly, refusing to be reasoned with, his eyes prickling with unshed tears. Splinter sighed and took a small package next to him, handing it to his son.

"If you don't want to listen to my words, maybe you'll accept to read them."

* * *

Leonardo shut himself up in the storage room and went to the furthest corner, hiding behind a shelf. He opened the package with shaking fingers.

_Letters,_ he realized with a pang. _They are addressed to me._

Leonardo took a letter at random and opened it.

" _My son. Today, we're celebrating your brother's twelfth birthday. I miss you more than ever…"_

He hurriedly put the letter away and took another.

"… _I wasn't able to find you. I'm fighting to keep going. Your brothers need me…"_

And another.

" _Meeting this other Leonardo has been a painful experience. I'm afraid I wasn't fair with him, but I kept wondering about you and how you would have turned out…"_

And another, and another, until the words blurred and he could take no more.

Hiding his head between his knees, Leonardo wept bitterly.

Unbeknownst to him, three shadows shifted behind the shelves.

"Leo? Are you okay?"

"Don't be stupid, Mikey, of course he's not."

"I know he's not, Raph, it's just a way to let him know we're here. He didn't even notice us, see?"

Leonardo raised his head sharply, not bothering to hide his tears.

"What are you guys doing here? I locked the door."

"Please. A lock?" Donatello rolled his eyes.

"We can show you how to pick them, if you want," Michelangelo suggested.

He knelt in front of Leonardo, putting his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"What's the matter, bro?"

Leonardo shrugged.

"H-he wrote me letters," he sniffled. "I-I thought he didn't care about me, and all th-this time, he was writing t-to me."

"Oh, Leo," Donatello sighed, kneeling next to Michelangelo and putting a soothing hand on Leonardo's arm.

Raphael kept standing, his arms crossed.

"Scoot over," he grumbled.

Leonardo looked at him in surprise.

"What?"

"You're in a corner. It's not practical," Raphael explained. "So scoot over."

"Practical for what?" Leonardo replied, his brain trying to make sense of Raphael's demand.

Raphael sighed heavily and dropped on the floor before pulling his three brothers to him.

"Don't make me say it," he warned, engulfing Leonardo in his arms while Donatello and Michelangelo did the same.

Safely held by his three brothers, Leonardo curled up and wept even more, letting their warmth replace the bitterness in his heart.

* * *

Hours later, the lair was finally silent as almost everyone had headed for bed. April and Casey had left. Michelangelo had generously offered to give Murakami his room, with this cryptic warning: "No matter what, Murakami-san, don't open the cupboards." He would sleep in the living room with Leonardo.

But Splinter couldn't sleep. He was playing again in his head his talk with Leonardo, wondering if there was anything else he could have said or done. He hoped that his son would read his letters – although giving them to him had been a difficult decision. They had never been meant to reach their addressee, after all, and they revealed more of Splinter's feelings than he was comfortable with.

But they were his last hope to get through to his fourth son.

A presence in the entrance of the dojo made him turn. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep tonight.

The shadowy figure hesitated for an entire minute before talking.

"May I enter?"

Leonardo's voice was unsure and fragile, and Splinter merely nodded, not daring to talk for fear that his son would change his mind and go away.

"I… I read your letters. With Raph, Donnie and Mikey."

Splinter's heart beat faster.

"And?" He asked as calmly as he could.

Leonardo closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked his father in the eye for the first time, his deep blue gaze swarming with conflicted emotions.

And Splinter's heart filled with joy at his answer.

"I would like you to teach me ninjitsu. Please… Master Splinter."


	21. Long Is the Road

Leonardo's training began the following day. He had a lot to learn, but he was more than willing to do so – and he could count on his brothers' help.

Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael made a point of honor to attend as many of Leonardo's training sessions as they could.

Although their help didn't always manifest in an explicit way.

"Is he always like that?" Leonardo groaned, sprawled on the floor, the first time Splinter demonstrated a hold with him as opponent.

"No, he's going easy on you," Raphael chuckled.

"You're enjoying this way too much."

"Maybe," Donatello acknowledged, grinning from ear to ear. "Just remember that you're not the first turtle to experience the nice feeling of kissing the dojo floor."

"Indeed, my bros," Michelangelo nodded solemnly. "I even have a favorite spot: right here."

Leonardo looked at it and saw that indeed, the carpet was thinner there. Letting out a strangled laugh, he picked himself up.

Of course, it wasn't always easy. The first time Splinter had touched him to correct his posture, it had taken all his willpower not to flinch. If Splinter had noticed it, he hadn't commented.

The ninja master was a patient teacher, which Leonardo was grateful for. When he watched him or his brothers perform perfectly executed katas with an eerie grace, he felt terribly awkward.

Splinter had warned him: it would take years for him to catch up with them.

Still, Leonardo loved his new training.

* * *

Leonardo's brothers took upon themselves to help him with every aspect of a ninja life they could think of.

With Splinter's help, Raphael developed a fitness plan to help Leonardo gain the strength and endurance he lacked. He rather enjoyed his new role of coach.

A few of his more personal touches weren't to his brother's taste. For example, asking Michelangelo to sit on Leonardo's shell while he was doing push-ups had been a little exaggerated.

"Seriously, guys?" Leonardo groaned, lying on his plastron. His biceps had called a strike after a few failed attempts at lifting his orange-clad brother. "Mikey, you must be eating too many pizzas, it's impossible otherwise."

Raphael grinned at him. He did it a lot these days.

"If you want, I can take Mikey's place."

Leonardo looked at the powerfully built turtle.

"No, thank you," he said sheepishly. "I'll pass."

Michelangelo jumped off his shell. He and Raphael exchanged a high-three under Leonardo's disgusted glare.

"There," Raphael added with an evil smile, delicately placing the tiny Spike on Leonardo's shell. "I hope you can lift _this_ turtle."

Then Michelangelo stole a picture of Leonardo's face.

As for Donatello, he sketched detailed diagrams of a turtle's anatomy and made Leonardo learn them by heart – including the functioning of his nictitating membrane and the name of every single muscle.

"Despite what people might think, we mutant turtles can enjoy a great variety of movements. Our shell is both flexible and hard. You have to increase the range of moves you're familiar with. Mikey, demonstration please?"

Michelangelo nodded. Smiling at Leonardo, he twisted and bent in impossible ways until he resembled a Picasso painting.

Leonardo watched him in awe.

"See?" Donatello said, nodding. "You've got to improve your flexibility."

"I'll help you, bro," Michelangelo said, disentangling. "I know the perfect game for that! You'll see, it's easy: all you have to do is put your hands and feet on the right colors. If you win, I'll give you my pizza tonight!"

Leonardo rubbed his brother's head fondly, not fooled.

"I don't stand a chance, do I?"

Michelangelo merely grinned.

* * *

Ninja training involved more subjects than Leonardo had previously thought.

Donatello taught him how to pick locks and everything about their mechanisms. The genius designed more and more complex door locks so that Leonardo could train.

Leonardo already had some basic knowledge of first-aid, but Raphael made sure that he was up to date with the different ways of fixing basic injuries. Like, let's say, the sort of injuries brawls could leave on you.

"Listen to him," Michelangelo whispered in Leonardo's ear. "It's first-hand knowledge."

Unfortunately for the orange-clad turtle, Raphael heard that and Leonardo's instruction had to be momentarily interrupted.

And Leonardo wasn't sure how exactly video games were going to help him, but Michelangelo had an impressive collection and it would have been a shame not to enjoy it.

"It's excellent for your reflexes and coordination," Donatello told him, sticking his tongue out slightly while his car took a hairpin bend.

"You cheated!" Michelangelo protested loudly when the genius won the race. "You had almost no penalty! Have you added secret cheat codes in the game again?"

Raphael saw Leonardo grimace at the noise level.

"Relax, Leo," he said, putting his hand on Leonardo's arm. "No neighbors in the sewers, remember?"

Leonardo nodded sheepishly. An entire childhood keeping as quiet as possible left traces and he wasn't at ease with shouting as a regular way of expressing yourself.

But the most unexpected lesson they offered him was the one about lying.

In the middle of a skateboarding session in the sewers, and safely out of any adults' ears, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello tried to improve their brother's poor skills at that delicate art.

"Leo, you've got to learn how to lie." Michelangelo began. "You've got so many tells, it's not even funny."

Leonardo crossed his arms, embarrassed.

"I've been raised to be an honest turtle," he retorted.

"And that's a good thing, Leo," Donatello soothed him. "But ninja use deception. Think about it as another skill."

"I'll show you how it's done," Michelangelo generously offered. "Repeat after me: I'm a gorgeous blonde."

Leonardo blinked. Michelangelo's expression and his voice had stayed the same. No twitching, no twisting, no hidden smile.

"That's kind of scaring, you know."

"Thanks. Now say it!"

"I'm a gorgeous blonde," Leonardo repeated. He felt totally stupid.

"No, you're blushing! Try again."

Leonardo rolled his eyes.

"I'm a gorgeous blonde!"

"Not really," Raphael whispered behind him, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"You're not helping, Raph," Leonardo moaned.

"That was a little better, but nobody would believe it," Michelangelo went on. "The key is to be convinced of what you're saying. Try again!"

"How am I supposed to be convinced that I'm a gorgeous blonde?"

"Yeah, you've got a point," Raphael interjected, grinning. "It's easy for Mikey, because he really is a gorgeous blonde. Inside."

"Thanks, Ra… hey!" Michelangelo protested, launching himself at Raphael and pinning him to the floor.

"Maybe you should try another sentence, Leo," Raphael said, twisting to put Michelangelo in a headlock. "I suggest this one: I'll deshell you, Mikey!"

Leonardo gulped. Raphael _was_ convincing.

"I'm not so sure about it, Raph," he protested. "Besides, I don't think I'll ever need to pretend I'm a gorgeous blonde or I want to deshell my brother… What do you think, Donnie?"

The purple-clad turtle didn't answer.

"Donnie?" Leonardo repeated, turning to his third brother.

Donatello was doubling over in silent laughter.

"Thanks for the support," Leonardo said, throwing up his arms.

"Sorry, Leo," Donatello chuckled. "But you know, I've never been so good at lying myself, and… Hey!"

Michelangelo and Raphael had begun rolling on the floor, and Donatello was soon caught in their fight.

Leonardo rolled his eyes.

A hand extracted itself from the tangle and grasped his ankle, making him stumble.

"Time to review your wrestling," Raphael stated.

Hours later, a bunch of very tired turtles entered the lair.

"What took you so long?" April asked from the couch, where she was watching a movie with Casey. "We arrived later than we intended, and you still weren't here."

Leonardo glanced at his brothers, then sent her a deadpan look.

"I broke a heel. Because, you know, I'm a gorgeous blonde."

April and Casey both blinked at him and Donatello had another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

As Leonardo headed for the bathroom, Michelangelo congratulated him happily.

"See? That was much better!"

* * *

Sitting cross-legged in the dojo, Splinter was thinking about his newest pupil.

So far, Leonardo was learning more slowly than his brothers had. He often asked Splinter to demonstrate the moves several times and he chose to perform his katas at a slow pace.

Splinter was wondering why. Maybe it was harder for him because he was so much older than they had been?

Anyways, it wasn't worrying him. Leonardo would learn at his own pace. And he was eager to train.

To be honest, it had surprised Splinter. None of his other sons had displayed such an interest for staying hours in the dojo in addition to normal training sessions.

It was obvious that Leonardo loved training.

He loved it so much, in fact, that Splinter was facing a problem he would never have expected.

The boy didn't know when to stop.

Only a few days ago, he had surprised his son training with Donatello when Leonardo had already spent hours in the dojo with Splinter, then with Raphael, and then racing in the sewers with Michelangelo.

So Splinter had taken him aside to explain to him that too much physical exercise when his body wasn't used to it could be hurtful.

Since then, Leonardo had slowed down. Splinter almost didn't see him in the dojo by himself anymore.

_Maybe he slowed down a little too much,_ Splinter mused. _I'll tell him that he can train alone – he just has to be careful not to overdo it._

Leonardo wasn't in the living room, so Splinter headed for the bedrooms.

They had turned the storage room into a fourth chamber, that Murakami was now occupying, and Leonardo shared Donatello's room. Donatello didn't mind. He had spare room – all his stuff was in his lab - and Splinter suspected that he slept in there more often than not these days.

Suspicious noises coming from Donatello and Leonardo's room made him frown. He suddenly burst the door open.

Raphael was in there, reading a book on Leonardo's bed.

"Raphael. Why aren't you in your room?" Splinter asked sternly.

Raphael coughed.

"Spike wanted to go for a walk," he pretended. "Then I saw this awesome book about…" Raphael looked at the title and grimaced. " _Hydrodynamics_ , and I thought I would read it on the spot."

Splinter lifted an eyebrow. Instead of calling his son a liar, he focused on the rest of the room, moving swiftly.

He knew what he had heard. Raphael wasn't reading a few seconds before, and he certainly wasn't alone.

There. Someone was moving behind him.

Splinter knew it more thanks to his ninja master's instinct than because he had heard or seen it.

_Impressive,_ he thought.

He had postponed stealth training until later on, when Leonardo would have learned the basics, but obviously his son was already well-advanced in that particular department.

_But he still disobeyed me._

Turning abruptly, Splinter extended his hand and pressed his finger against a particular spot of Leonardo's neck. The turtle collapsed on the floor with a surprised cry.

"Leonardo," Splinter said sternly. "Although your stealth skills are remarkable, I thought you would have known better than hiding to train."

Leonardo coughed and picked himself up.

"Sorry, Master Splinter," he said sheepishly, although he really didn't seem to be.

Splinter frowned at his son. Time to teach him that discipline was an important part of a ninja life.

* * *

Leonardo groaned as he slumped on the couch. His whole body hurt after Splinter had insisted to have a little randori session with him. "Because you want to train so much," he had said.

_I should have been more suspicious when I saw Raph's face._

Master Splinter was a lot stricter than Murakami.

_Lesson learned,_ Leonardo grimaced, massaging his sore legs. And arms. And neck. _Going behind Splinter's back is a bad idea._

"Hey Leo, do you want to help us cook? I've had an awesome idea and…"

Michelangelo stopped in the kitchen doorway when he saw his brother.

"Uh, Leo, what happened? You look like you've just run a marathon."

"Nothing," Leonardo blushed. "I just learned an important lesson today."

"And that would be?" Michelangelo tilted his head.

"Don't cross a ninja master," Leonardo answered sheepishly.

"Aaaah! So that's it! I was wondering when it would happen."

Michelangelo waved the ladle he had in hand.

"Don't worry, we've all been there. Now do you want to help?"

Leonardo nodded. He enjoyed cooking with Murakami and Michelangelo.

_And unlike me, Mikey has an inner gift for this art,_ he thought. _It's a pleasure to work with them both._

"Why not? I don't think I'm going to train tonight."

* * *

At dinner, when everyone savored the dish Michelangelo and Murakami had invented – pizza gyoza, they called it – and Splinter didn't seem to be mad at him anymore, Leonardo couldn't help feeling that his life was so much more interesting and fulfilling than before.

Except for one thing.

Weeks after his father had been kidnapped, he still had no news from Karai.


	22. Wondering

Of course, Leonardo had tried to know what had happened to his best friend. He had expected to hear from her right after her meeting with her father. She would want to know what he was hiding from her, and Leonardo still hadn't a clue of how he was going to get out of this one.

But Karai hadn't texted him that night, nor the day after, nor the night after that, and Leonardo had begun wondering what had happened to her.

He assumed that her father had confined her in the Foot headquarters as punishment for her involvement in Murakami's rescue. Her phone was switched off and he couldn't reach her.

_She must be getting crazy with boredom._

It reminded Leonardo of the months he had spent in Japan while she was in New York City and didn't answer his messages, except this time his busy schedule prevented him from brooding over.

_I can't wait to tell her that I'm training to become a ninja._

All in all, Leonardo was worried about her, but not panicking. If there was one unique thing the Shredder had in his favor, it was his love for his daughter – for his adopted daughter. Despite everything Leonardo had learned about the man, he couldn't believe that she wouldn't be safe with him.

_He may be a strict father, but he won't hurt her. And he can't confine her forever._

Sometimes, Leonardo daydreamed about being a normal teenage boy able to ring at the door of his best friend's normal father and ask about her. But of course, it was out of the question.

So he waited.

* * *

In addition to his own training sessions, Leonardo liked to attend his brothers'. He especially appreciated their weapons practice. He wasn't allowed to use weapons yet, and wouldn't be any time soon, but he couldn't help wondering which one he would use.

A multi-purpose bo staff, like Donatello?

Close combat sai, like Raphael?

Wild nunchucks, like Michelangelo?

Or something else entirely?

But today, Master Splinter had decided to gather his four sons for a lesson in stealth. He had asked Leonardo to help him demonstrate how to use an opponent's lapse in concentration to disappear from his view.

Leonardo was enjoying it. It felt rewarding to be able to help them after everything they did for him.

"How do you keep doing that?" Raphael grumbled, as Leonardo had once more escaped his notice.

"You're relying too much on your sense of sight," Leonardo said, appearing suddenly next to Michelangelo.

The orange-clad turtle jumped.

"Spooky," he whispered.

Leonardo grinned at him before turning again towards Raphael.

"I'm using that fact to confuse you."

"Yame," Splinter shouted. "Do it again. Raphael, try to keep track of your brother with your intuition as much as with your physical senses."

Leonardo and Raphael faced each other one more time. Leonardo smiled at his brother while the sai wielder looked at him with a focused expression.

"Hajime!"

As soon as Splinter had given them the signal, Raphael jumped towards Leonardo and tripped him. He put a heavy foot on his grimacing brother's shell, pinning him to the floor.

"There," he said, smiling evilly. You won't disappear so easily this time."

"An interesting strategy," Splinter said, his tone revealing nothing of his deep amusement. "Leonardo, do you surrender?"

"No, Master Splinter," Leonardo answered determinedly.

He swiftly twisted his free legs to perform a move Donatello had showed him just the day before, and before Raphael had the time to register what was happening, he was losing his footing.

"Aaaand… down you go!" Donatello commented, thoroughly enjoying the sight. "Nice job, Leo."

Raphael glared at his purple-clad brother.

Unfortunately, he lost sight of Leonardo in the process. When he hastily looked back at the floor where he was supposed to be, his brother had disappeared.

"Oh come on!"

"Yame!" Splinter shouted. "Well done, Leonardo."

Leonardo bowed from his new place next to Donatello and turned to his genius brother.

"Thanks, Donnie. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"You're welcome, Leo. It was my pleasure."

Raphael stomped to them and narrowed his eyes.

"You know it won't work twice," he said threateningly to Leonardo. "Next time, I'll be waiting for you."

He addressed Donatello next.

"And don't think I didn't notice what you did! If you hadn't distracted me, Leo wouldn't have escaped me so easily!"

"It's called teamwork, bro," Michelangelo winked.

Raphael glared at him too, for good measure.

"You three are insufferable," he growled. "Don't expect me to go easy on any of you next time we spar. I'll enjoy mopping the floor with you!"

Then he stomped out of the dojo.

Leonardo looked at Donatello and Michelangelo, confused.

"Is it a declaration of war?"

Michelangelo shook his head.

"From Raphie, it's more like a declaration of love."

"Don't call me that!" An outraged voice shouted from outside.

"Sooo…" Leonardo said, inwardly noting the nickname for future use, "he doesn't mean what he says?"

Donatello patted Leonardo's shell.

"Of course he does."

Leonardo rolled his eyes and sighed while Donatello and Michelangelo chuckled. The three of them left the dojo, discussing intently about how to soothe a mad Raphael. Michelangelo's suggestion of a movie night won with flying colors.

And still, Leonardo waited for news from Karai.

* * *

Leonardo was missing his blind father.

April's father had invited Murakami to stay in their apartment for a while, so that he could get more sunlight. Sewers weren't exactly made for humans, and it would have been too dangerous for him to go back to his noodle shop. Besides, Kirby O'Neil got along well with the blind cook, and he had suggested that they implement a home-delivery food company. This way, Murakami would be protected from further attacks and could continue exercising his talents. Kirby would be the manager. It was rather different from his first job as a scientist, but April's father wanted a break after his time with Stockman.

Of course, Leonardo regularly went out to see his father, even if he was never alone and had to be extremely cautious because of Shredder's presence in the city.

But it wasn't the same as living with him.

Splinter had noticed the somber mood of his son and had invited him to meditate with him.

Actually, Leonardo would have gladly declined – he usually didn't mind meditation, but with the turmoil in his mind these days, it was driving him crazy – but he didn't think that his brothers would accept another pacing session in the living room. And he had already reached his allotted training quota for the day.

So he sat cross-legged next to Splinter under the shadow of the dojo tree and tried to relax.

_He was running across the rooftops with Karai, and she was laughing…_

And tried.

_They were sharing a meal in Murakami's noodle shop, quarreling like siblings under the amused supervision of the gifted cook…_

And tried.

" _Who are you?" She asked, her tiny hand reaching towards him while he recoiled from the human girl – humans were dangerous, except for his father, of course – but she seemed nice, and he was curious…_

" _I'm Leonardo."_

_She shook her head, pouting._

" _Too long. You're small. You need a small name. I'll call you Leo."_

Leonardo leaned against the tree trunk with a groan.

"What's the matter, Leonardo?" Splinter asked gently.

He wasn't surprised that his son wasn't able to focus – he had never expected it. It was just an opportunity to get him to talk.

Although Leonardo had accepted his authority as Sensei, their father-son relationship was tense at best. Leonardo never called him 'Father' nor shared his feelings with him. But his ninja training was automatically bringing them closer, and Splinter was a patient rat.

"I keep thinking about Karai," Leonardo admitted after a while, turning to look at his father. "It's as if she disappeared from the surface of the world. Don't you want to know what happened to her too?"

_She's your daughter,_ his eyes were shouting at him.

The ninja master sighed.

"Of course I do, Leonardo. I tried to reach her through the astral plane, but she's not spiritually trained and it didn't work."

"You can do that?"

Leonardo's eyes widened.

"Yes," Splinter nodded.

He didn't add anything, waiting to see if his son would ask him the question that was obviously burning his lips.

"Uh… Do you think you could teach me?"

_Yes!_ Splinter thought.

"Why not?" He calmly answered. "I can make it part of your training. But you need a clear mind for that."

Leonardo sighed and watched the floor with a disabused expression.

Splinter carefully put a paw on his son's shoulder.

"Why don't you tell me more about her?" The ninja master suggested. "I still remember her as a baby. Maybe you could help me get up to date."

Leonardo smiled tentatively at the thought of a baby Karai.

"Why not?"

* * *

It turned out that Leonardo had a lot to say about Karai, and his discussion with Splinter lasted hours, much to the ninja rat's delight.

In the end, the turtle had a clearer mind. And he had come to an important decision, one he didn't share with his father.

Leonardo had had enough of waiting. He was going to investigate.


	23. Dangerous Game

Leonardo waited until everyone had gone to bed to put his plan into operation. He had his own bedroom now, and he didn't have to worry about Donatello not finding him in his bed.

He tiptoed to the turnstiles and jumped over them silently. Turning around the corner, he began walking in the sewers, wondering how much time it would take to reach his goal. He had to come back before his brothers woke up.

Leonardo reached the manhole cover he had chosen and put his hands on the ladder's bars.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Leonardo started.

"Donnie. You're awake?" He asked slowly, buying himself time.

"No, I'm sleepwalking," Donatello deadpanned.

Leonardo grimaced and turned round to meet his brother's glare.

_He doesn't look too happy, does he?_

"I… needed to go for a walk."

"That late in the night? Alone?"

Leonardo didn't answer. Donatello sighed.

"You know we're not supposed to go on the surface alone."

"I-I know, I just wanted to… uh… admire the moon. For a few minutes."

Donatello came closer and pressed an outraged finger against his brother's plastron.

"Remember when we wanted to help you learn how to lie? It wasn't for you to use it against us."

Leonardo blushed and changed the topic.

"How did you know I left the lair, anyways? I was silent."

Donatello rolled his eyes.

"I've put motion sensors everywhere in this area, Leo. Nobody comes or leaves without my knowledge."

Leonardo swore under his breath. Of course. He had totally forgotten about it.

Donatello watched him in silence for a while before shaking his head.

"You know, I already have a pretty good idea of what you're up to. I just hoped you would be more open about it."

"You do?" Leonardo tilted his head, intrigued despite his guilt.

"Well…" Donatello began, crossing his arms. "You haven't mentioned Karai all day, so it has to be linked to her. If she had sent you a message, you wouldn't have hidden it, so that's not it. You didn't tell us anything, so what you want to do is potentially stupid and dangerous, and undoubtedly not Splinter-approved."

The genius looked his brother in the eye.

"I would say that you got tired of not knowing what happened to our sister, and you decided to find answers. Within the Foot if necessary."

"I wouldn't have let them notice me," Leonardo retorted hotly even though his cheeks burned. Donatello's reasoning was flawless. "I was merely going to spy on them in the hope that they would let something slip."

"As I said, stupid and dangerous. Let's go back to the lair."

Leonardo shook his head desperately.

"I need to know what happened to Karai!"

Donatello sighed, obviously irritated.

"Of course you do. But we're not going to spy on the Foot without Mikey and Raph. They would kill us."

Leonardo blinked.

"You… you would come with me even though Splinter forbids it?"

His purple-clad brother offered him a hesitant smile.

"Of course. What are brothers for? And I'll even go as far as not telling Raph and Mikey where I found you. As long as you're the one waking them up."

Leonardo grinned and launched himself at Donatello, hugging him with strength.

"You're the best," he whispered in his ear.

"I know," Donatello answered, hugging him back. "Just keep in mind that I'm not taking responsibility for whatever happens when Master Splinter finds out."

* * *

"Spying on the Foot?" Raphael grumbled. "Aren't we supposed to stay clear of them?"

To be honest, the red-clad turtle didn't really mind. He had been waiting for an opportunity to get back at the Foot since the day they had beaten him up. But he was grumpy. Being woken up in the middle of his much needed sleep tended towards doing that to him.

But he had already punched Leonardo in the face when his brother had woken him up – as a reflex, not because he meant it – so he wasn't going to complain too much.

Michelangelo rubbed his eyes and yawned. Waking _him_ up had been less dangerous than waking Raphael, but much more difficult.

"Couldn't it have waited until tomorrow?" He moaned.

Leonardo shook his head, his right hand holding firmly a pack of ice against his cheek.

"I've waited long enough. I need answers. But you don't have to come with me."

"Don't be stupid," Raphael grumbled. "Of course we're coming with you."

"Yeah, bro," Michelangelo yawned again. "I just wish you had chosen another time to realize that. But we're with you."

Leonardo exchanged an almost sheepish glance with Donatello, which aroused Michelangelo's suspicions. Suddenly wide awake, he narrowed his eyes and looked from one brother to the other before focusing on Leonardo.

"Because that's what happened, right? You decided that you wanted to go spy on the Foot and immediately woke us up because going alone would have been totally stupid, correct?"

Leonardo watched him in silence. He might have been blushing, but it was probably only a side-effect of the bruise spreading on his cheek.

"Leo?" Raphael asked.

Now he was suspicious too.

"Let's get going," Leonardo coughed, averting his eyes. "I don't know where the Foot headquarters is, but…"

"I do," Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael interjected, before looking at each other in surprise.

Leonardo gaped.

"How?"

"The Foot are beginning to be well-known among the city's thugs," Donatello began. "A gang was talking about them on their private chat."

"A few of the mutants have had trouble with them, and have begun gathering information about them," Michelangelo added. "I know because I had to talk Mondo out of it. He's not exactly a stealthy guy."

"Casey found it by mistake when he was trying to stop a robbery, without me, for once," Raphael said.

Leonardo crossed his arms. He felt a little angry.

"And you couldn't have told me sooner?"

"You didn't ask," Michelangelo shrugged. "And nobody mentioned Karai."

"It's not like we intended to do anything on our own, anyways," Raphael added with a hint of warning in his tone.

Leonardo winced and wisely decided to drop the matter.

"Fine. Let's do it."

* * *

The four turtles were watching a tall building, apparently designed by a really mad architect. It had glass towers, a helipad on its roof and modern art all over its walls.

"Okay," Leonardo finally said. "It's not very… discreet…"

"A surprising choice for ninja," Donatello agreed.

"It's so obvious it becomes not obvious," Michelangelo contradicted them. "I think it's clever."

Raphael merely shook his head. He wished he had never set eyes upon that building. How could someone mix colors so wrong?

"So, what should we do now?" Donatello asked. "I don't think sneaking inside is a good idea. The Shredder must be here."

Leonardo shook his head.

"No need to. Let's just wait until a Foot patrol goes out and follow them."

"Wonderful," Raphael grumbled. "Let's wait for hours on that roof instead of sleeping in a comfortable hammock."

"We won't wait for hours," Michelangelo said, looking at his T-phone. "More like five minutes."

His three brothers watched him in surprise and he shrugged.

"What? I told you the other mutants had begun gathering information about them."

* * *

Indeed, a small detachment of Foot ninja left the building five minutes later. They were stealthier than Leonardo would have given them credit for, considering what their headquarters was, but they didn't seem to notice that they were followed.

At Leonardo's side, Raphael was gritting his teeth so hard that his brother began to fear he would hurt his jaw.

"What's the matter, Raph?"

"The man with the helm. It's the one who attacked me."

Leonardo watched the tall armored figure who leaded the group of ninja.

"It's Chris Bradford," he whispered. "He's Shredder's second-in-command. Karai doesn't get along very well with him."

"He's slightly limping, isn't he?" Donatello noticed. "I wonder if he was hurt recently."

"Like I care," Raphael spat.

The Foot ninja were apparently following a pre-determined route, because they didn't hesitate once. Fifteen minutes later, they stopped at an insignificant-looking door and Bradford knocked once, then twice, then once. The door opened and the ninja disappeared inside.

Leonardo frowned. Should they stay outside or should they try to overhear? So far, the Foot had said nothing at all. It looked like he would have to take more risks to get his answers, but could he really ask his brothers to do even more than they already had? It wasn't their fight.

Leonardo looked at the three other turtles with a questioning look. Raphael was standing with his arms crossed, Michelangelo was crouching next to him with an expectant expression, and Donatello… Donatello was taking a small item out of his jacket and pushing it against the wall.

"Donnie?" Leonardo asked.

"Hush, Leo," the genius answered gently. "Let me focus."

Donatello tinkered with his thingamajig for a few minutes before leaning back, satisfied, and pressing a last button.

Voices filled the air.

"I'm glad to see you again, Bradford," someone was saying with a heavy Russian accent. "I was worried about you."

Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo looked at Donatello in awe. The genius smiled smugly.

"You didn't need to be, Steranko. I'm perfectly fine. Do you have what I asked for?"

The turtles heard the sound of something heavy being put on a hard surface.

"There. The anti-mutant weapon you asked for. Do you have the payment we agreed upon?"

A snap of the fingers and another bump.

"Excellent. Let me recount them," the Russian man said.

Outside, the four turtles were watching each other in deep concern.

"An anti-mutant weapon?" Michelangelo whispered. "Dudes, we can't let the Foot keep it! What if they use it against our friends? Against Mondo?"

The orange-clad turtle's eyes were wide with worry. Raphael put a protective hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Mikey. We're not letting them keep it."

"What do you have in mind, Raph?" Donatello said calmly despite his obvious tension. "We're not supposed to engage the Foot. It's bad enough that we're spying on them."

"But Donnie, they have an anti-mutant weapon now!" Michelangelo whispered desperately.

"They are leaving," Leonardo interrupted them, pointing at the group of Foot in the street below.

"No they're not," Raphael growled. "Stay here, Leo. You're not ready."

Before Leonardo had the time to protest, Raphael had jumped down and drawn his sai, immediately followed by Michelangelo.

Donatello sent Leonardo a contrite look before jumping in his turn.

"Please, Leo," he pleaded. "Don't try to help us this time."

Then Leonardo was left alone on his rooftop while the sounds of a heated fight echoed in the street below.

* * *

Raphael was enjoying this opportunity to get back at Chris Bradford. The Foot ninja was slower this time – he must have been truly injured. However, he remained a powerful opponent, and Raphael attacked and blocked with all his might with Michelangelo guarding his back, while Donatello made his way to the black briefcase one of the Foot was holding.

"Turtles," Bradford spat. "Always turtles in my path. But where is Karai's one?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed. On the rooftop, Leonardo clenched his fists and came closer to the edge. He had to control himself. From the way these ninja were moving, he was still no match for them. He would only get in his brothers' way…

"Such a shame he isn't there," Bradford went on teasing. "Then I could have told him what happened to his little princess!"

Michelangelo tripped a Foot ninja who was trying to attack Donatello from behind and turned round to glare at Bradford. He could swear he was feeling Leonardo's rising anger and anxiety from where his brother stood meters above, and he assumed that he only had a few seconds left before Leonardo launched himself at Bradford, no matter how stupid this move would be.

"I don't think you know it anyways," he said teasingly. "You're only a sidekick. Not someone important like Karai."

"Do you think so?" Bradford spat, and he managed to kick Michelangelo's plastron. The turtle was thrown across the street. Fortunately, another Foot soldier softened his fall.

"Then why am I at Shredder's side while she was exiled to Japan?"

Several things happened at that moment.

Leonardo gasped, Michelangelo picked himself up and doubled over in pain, Raphael shouted and furiously got back at Bradford for hurting his brother and Donatello reached the briefcase.

And Shredder's voice roared from the other side of the street.

* * *

The Shredder had been utterly disappointed in Chris Bradford after his stunt with the Purple Dragons. Not only had the Foot ninja gone behind his back, but his supposed ally Hun had disobeyed orders and attacked Shredder's adored daughter Karai.

It hadn't taken long for Oroku Saki to learn every detail from Bradford and Hun, and he had punished both of them. Badly.

When Bradford had finally recovered enough to take back his place among the Foot, Shredder had decided to keep an eye on him. Personally.

He had given Bradford a simple mission – retrieve a new kind of weapon – with the intent of following him to see how he was doing.

However, Shredder had been delayed by an important call from the Foot Boot Camp. It seemed that Karai had tried to escape again.

_Like me, she hates being confined_ , he thought proudly.

Fortunately, he knew exactly where Bradford was going. When he and his elite guard had caught up with Bradford's ninja group, Shredder had stopped at the sight.

His minion wasn't stealthily bringing back the weapon to his master, no. He was allowing disgusting mutants to steal it.

Turtle mutants who looked a lot like the Leonardo his daughter had befriended for reasons Shredder still didn't understand. He had allowed her that whim as he had allowed her many other whims in her childhood.

_Karai, my daughter,_ Shredder thought with fury. _You have been betrayed._

The turtle mutants were dressed up and armed like ninja. Ninja fighting in the Hamato clan's style.


	24. By A Thread

Everyone had frozen at Shredder's roar. On his rooftop, Leonardo could hear his blood pounding through his temples while his thoughts raced wildly.

_Karai is in Japan… He sent her back to Japan…_

_Shredder is here!_

They had to get out of here. Escaping had priority. He could dwell on Karai's fate later…

Leonardo took a deep breath and calmly watched the scene. Raphael and Bradford had stopped fighting and both were watching the Shredder with similar shocked expressions. Michelangelo had just straightened up. Donatello had turned around and was looking at the Shredder with a horrified expression, the briefcase supposedly containing the anti-mutant weapon in his hand.

Shredder was focused on them now. They had no chance of escaping his attention, the attention of an experienced ninja master.

How could Leonardo help them? He had no weapon and wasn't weapon-trained yet anyway. Launching himself at the Shredder as he had done with Hun was bound to fail. If the man was half as gifted as Splinter was – and Leonardo had no doubt about it – he would see him coming and avoid him without any problem.

_Something,_ Leonardo thought desperately. _There has to be something I can do…_

Stealth. He was good at stealth. Stealth was useful to remain unnoticed, to spy on, to steal… To move freely and set up…

_A diversion._

And he knew just how… If only he had enough time…

_Please, hold on,_ Leonardo begged his brothers. _Just a few minutes. Please…_

Then he turned his back on them and faded into the shadows.

* * *

Raphael was a courageous turtle, who didn't object to fighting when outnumbered or even injured. From his three brothers, he was definitely the one who had the most fighting experience. Despite what his brothers and Sensei thought sometimes, he knew his limits well.

After all, he was still alive after countless nights playing vigilante against all the thugs of New York City.

So he immediately knew what his chances were against an opponent like the Shredder.

When he saw the black-armored man close the distance between them, when he saw him _move_ …

He knew his chances were non-existent. That feline grace, that lethal agility outmatched him by far.

_He's like Splinter,_ Raphael thought. _With more rage and less control. But still deadly. Deadlier, maybe, because he won't hesitate to go for the kill._

One day, maybe, Raphael would become a master himself and be able to defeat opponents such as the Shredder.

But he wasn't yet, and his chances of survival were becoming poorer and poorer as the leader of the Foot clan, the murderer of Tang Shen, the victor of his father came closer to him.

However, Raphael was a courageous turtle, and he resolutely got ready to confront this new opponent.

_The only way you'll hurt my brothers is over my dead body, you giant tin can._

* * *

Michelangelo knew they had to escape the second he set eyes on the Shredder, and he prepared himself to use the chain of his kusarigama to flee to the rooftops.

Except he could only reach for one brother before the Shredder arrived, and there were two of them in this fight.

Michelangelo wasn't going to choose between Raphael and Donatello. Taking a deep breath and instead of going to safety, he threw his kusarigama at the Shredder in the hope of entangling him to give the three of them an escape chance.

But the Shredder merely shredded it and the links of the chain fell to the ground, useless.

Then the ninja master was on them, and Raphael was flying in the air and landing gracelessly against the wall, and _ouch_ … Michelangelo too, and this time there was no Foot soldier to cushion his fall…

"Raph! Mikey!" He heard Donatello shout.

_Flee, Donnie, save yourself,_ Michelangelo wanted to tell his brother.

But he was breathless, and he knew that Donatello wouldn't have listened to him anyways.

_Leo… At least Leo is safe,_ Michelangelo thought.

* * *

Donatello's brain was operating at full capacity, trying to find a way out of this desperate situation.

So far, he had found twenty ways where one of them escaped, one where two of them escaped and zero where the three of them escaped.

When he saw the Shredder hit Raphael and Michelangelo, he shouted in outrage and unsheathed his bo staff, ready to defend them…

But the Shredder merely took it from him and broke it to pieces before grabbing him by the neck. Donatello let go of the briefcase he had been holding to use both hands to ease the Shredder's grasp, because he was _choking_...

From the corner of his eye, he saw a Foot soldier pick up the briefcase.

_No,_ he thought. _The weapon… We can't let them have the weapon…_

But there was nothing he could do about it, not when he couldn't even _breathe_...

Shredder shook him hard before loosening his grip.

"Hamato Yoshi," he said in a cold, enraged tone that made Donatello shiver, "your wicked master. Where is his hideout?"

_You'll never know,_ Donatello thought. _I won't let you hurt him…_

Although he had said nothing, his expression must have conveyed the challenge, because Shredder let go of him before raising his gauntlet.

"If you don't want to answer, then I'll ask the others and you're useless to me."

_Am I going to die now?_ Donatello wondered, baffled. _I'm too young to die. I've so much to learn, so much to experience…_

But the Shredder's eyes were merciless.

* * *

Chris Bradford was watching the scene, not knowing if he should rejoice at the turtles' swift demise or worry about his own fate. Would Shredder count this as a failure on his part?

_I should have won the fight in mere seconds,_ he thought bitterly.

Bradford had wanted so much to prove his master that he was still a faithful, useful servant – an indispensable one – that he hadn't waited until his full recovery. His reflexes weren't as sharp as usual, and his leg was still hurting…

He looked without emotion at the purple-clad turtle who was about to die. _Hamato Yoshi? These turtles are Hamato Yoshi's disciples? No wonder Master Shredder is that upset._

Hopefully Hamato Yoshi's foreseeable death would soothe him.

* * *

Raphael was gathering his remaining strength to try to attack the Shredder a second time, although he was feeling as if he had been hit by a bus, when something suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

Raphael blinked.

_Is this a… clothesline?_

Next to him, Michelangelo was blinking at another clothesline.

The two turtles raised their heads. On the rooftop above, Leonardo was motioning for them to climb up.

The Foot and Shredder's attention was focused on Donatello right now, so no one was looking at them.

But Raphael shook his head.

_Not without Donnie,_ he mouthed, although there was no way Leonardo could see it from the distance.

Leonardo must have understood, however, because he pointed at something he had in his hand. Raphael tried to discern what it was.

_Another briefcase? He wants to save Donnie with a briefcase?_

Michelangelo frowned before shrugging and beginning to climb up. Obviously, he had decided to trust Leonardo.

Raphael hesitated a while longer, but he knew that trying to fight the Shredder face to face was only delaying the inevitable. Had Leonardo a better plan?

_He better would._

Gritting his teeth, Raphael caught the clothesline and began climbing.

* * *

Shredder was about to strike a lethal blow when someone shouted with a heavy Russian accent.

"You double-crossed me! You traitors!"

A man with a sub-machine gun was running at them.

Shredder frowned. It was Ivan Steranko. Had Bradford disobeyed his orders again and tried to double-cross the man?

As he turned to ask his ninja, a shower of banknotes almost blinded him.

* * *

Leonardo didn't wait to see if his diversion had worked. Letting go of the briefcase which precious content had just been emptied, he grasped his own clothesline.

_Don't worry, Leo,_ he told himself. _You've done this countless times with Karai._

This was the trickiest part of his plan. Stealing Steranko's payment had been easy enough – a pity he was an honest turtle, he would have had a bright future as a thief – but playing turtle-of-the-jungle so close of the Shredder…

_I hope money is blinding him, and Steranko's shouts are deafening him. And I estimated the building's height correctly…_

Too late to have regrets. Leonardo jumped and…

… used his legs to cling onto the line while he extended his arms…

…picking Donatello up…

… and landing on the opposite rooftop, where Raphael and Michelangelo were waiting for them with wide eyes.

"Let's go!" He whispered, and none of his brothers hesitated to follow him away from the scene as fast as they were able to.

* * *

Shredder immediately noticed that something was wrong. When he turned his iron gaze back at the turtle he had intended to kill, his fists clenched in anger.

He was gone.

The three turtles were gone.

Someone was going to pay for this.

* * *

Splinter woke up with a start, every sense ready for battle.

His sons were in danger, he knew it. Terrible danger. A dark shadow he knew all too well was looming over them…

One of his children in particular was on the verge of…

_No!_ Splinter thought. _No, Donatello!_

Then the sensation faded and Splinter doubled over in relief.

Taking deep breathes to steady himself, he stood up and ran to Donatello's room.

His son wasn't there.

Feeling his pulse quicken again, Splinter made for his son's lab.

He wasn't there, either.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Splinter checked his other sons' bedrooms.

All were empty.

_How dare they?_ Splinter thought, clenching his fists.

His feelings were switching between plain anguish and deep anger. The ninja master sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, trying to meditate.

_My sons. Please come home safely._

And then… Then, may the spirits of his ancestors help them. They were in so much trouble.


	25. From Bad to Worse

The four turtles were moving quietly through the sewers, each of them pondering the recent events.

The anti-mutant weapon.

Karai in Japan.

The Shredder and their lucky escape thanks to Leonardo's scheme.

Michelangelo finally broke the silence.

"What are we going to do? They have an anti-mutant weapon now."

Donatello bowed his head sadly.

"I'm sorry I let it go."

"Don't," Raphael said softly, putting an arm around Donatello's shoulders. "There was nothing more you could have done. We're already lucky to have escaped with our lives."

"Yeah," Michelangelo sighed. He turned to Leonardo and made a poor attempt at a smile. "Thanks again, by the way, bro."

"You're welcome," Leonardo whispered softly. "It was my fault anyways. If I hadn't wanted so badly to spy on the Foot…"

"Then we wouldn't have known about their new weapon," Raphael grumbled, putting his other arm around Leonardo's shoulders. "Stop blaming yourselves, both of you. What is done is done."

"But now Shredder knows about you," Leonardo went on guiltily. "And about Hamato Yoshi. He… he won't stop until he finds him."

_And kills him,_ he added in his head.

Raphael took a deep breath.

"Tomorrow, we'll think about that. We'll warn the other mutants and…"

_Talk to Splinter?_ Raphael wondered. He was almost certain they had to. The Shredder knowing about them – about _him_ – was too important a fact to be kept from their Sensei.

"Tomorrow," he repeated to give himself courage, "we'll have to talk about it with Master Splinter."

His brothers exchanged concerned glances.

"We're toast," Michelangelo whispered, leaning against Leonardo.

Leonardo sighed. He couldn't say he hadn't been warned.

* * *

Splinter was waiting resolutely for his sons. He had managed to calm himself enough to be fairly certain he wasn't going to start yelling at them the second he saw them. No, he would remain calm. Calmly ask them where they had been and what they had done. Calmly listen to their answer. Calmly let them know they were grounded for the following month, no, for the following _year_ …

_Breathe,_ he chastised himself. _Calm. Water. Stone. Stone over water… No, wait… That's not quite it…_

His ears twitched as he heard the sound of three pair of footsteps.

_Three?_

His heart beat faster. He turned to the turnstiles and…

No, they were four. Leonardo was just moving quieter, that was all.

In the near total darkness, he was invisible for his four sons. They, however, were going across a dimly lit area of the living room. He examined them quickly. They were all standing on their own – good, that was good. Although they seemed really tired. Were they hurt?

"Let's go to bed," Raphael whispered. "And remember what I said. No blame game, okay?"

Splinter crossed his arms and silently stood up. _Oh no, you're not going to bed now, Raphael. No matter how tired you are._

He suddenly switched on the lights, making his four sons jump. The light revealed their multiple bruises and cuts. Splinter took a deep cleansing breath.

_My-precious-babies-you're-hurt-who-did-that-to-you?_

"Where have you been?" He asked. Calmly.

He was so proud of himself for that.

* * *

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello were lined up in the dojo, on their knees and heads bowed.

Looking every inch the guilty disobedient sons they were.

Splinter had crossed his paws in his lap to prevent them from twitching. He was a living statue.

_Shredder? They met the Shredder? They_ fought _the Shredder?_

He had managed to listen to their story without interrupting. Now he was watching them sternly. None of them dared to meet his gaze.

He believed that what they had told him was the truth: they had been spying on the Foot, had overheard a conversation about an anti-mutant weapon and decided to interfere. Then the Shredder had shown up. They had managed to escape thanks to clotheslines, apparently. Leonardo's idea.

_This boy is resourceful._

Except something wasn't making sense.

"Leonardo, where did you get that bruise if you didn't fight?" Splinter asked, cupping his son's chin to have a better look at it and forcing him to look at him in the process.

"Uh… I… I don't remember," Leonardo murmured.

At his side, Raphael shifted. Splinter lifted an eyebrow and glanced at his red-clad son. The turtle was looking at the dojo floor with a focused expression. His cheeks had an interesting reddish hue.

"You don't remember?" Splinter inquired.

Leonardo looked panicked. It was strange, considering he – along with his brothers – was already in the maximum amount of trouble he could get into.

"It… it must have been when I opened the briefcase," his son quickly said. "Yes. In the heat of the moment, I must have hit it… really hard…"

"I see," Splinter slowly said.

He decided to drop the matter for the moment. Splinter could wait until he was alone with Leonardo to reprimand him for lying. The ninja master wasn't even sure he would. First, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Second, he appreciated the fact that his son didn't tell on Raphael, who obviously had played an important role in this particular issue.

Sighing, Splinter released Leonardo, who immediately went back to watching the floor.

There was only one point which still needed to be cleared. Splinter took his most severe parental voice to ask his question.

"Why were you spying on the Foot tonight?"

His boys exchanged uneasy glances before Leonardo shifted and raised his head to look at his father.

"It's my fault," he said guiltily. "I wanted to know what had happened to Karai."

Splinter breathed deeply. He had feared something like this would happen, but he didn't expect it to be so disastrous. Now he needed to know if his son was conscious of his foolishness.

"And you didn't mind endangering your brothers in this process?"

Although he hadn't raised his voice, his tone was sharp. Leonardo recoiled as if he had been slapped.

"It's not… I didn't want to…"

"He didn't force us to come," Michelangelo quickly interjected.

"And I'm the one who jumped into the fight," Raphael added.

Donatello stayed quiet. He didn't know if telling his father that Leonardo had tried to go on his own would make matters better or worse.

"Silence!" Master Splinter commanded, and his sons immediately shut up. "I'm asking Leonardo."

His son inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," he whispered in shame. "I never meant for any of this to happen. Now Shredder knows about us and…"

Leonardo closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I only wanted to have news of Karai…"

Splinter sighed. Although he understood his son's reasons, he was furious. Leonardo should have known better. Each of his sons should have known better.

"Sorry doesn't make up for it. You went behind my back. All of you. I'm extremely disappointed in you. Now that the Shredder knows about our existence, he will stop at nothing to destroy us."

He looked hard at Leonardo. His anger and worry were building up again and almost overwhelming him.

"At nothing, Leonardo. Do you realize what you have brought upon this family?"

Splinter realized too late how harsh his words sounded, and how they could be interpreted. Before he had time to amend them, Leonardo straightened up and looked at him with pained, angry eyes.

"Do you regret that I came here?" He whispered hoarsely.

Leonardo's brothers gasped while Splinter quickly tried to reach for him.

"Leonardo, no! Of course I don't," he said.

But Leonardo was too upset to listen. Recoiling from his father's touch, he stood up, tears in his eyes.

"Because I never asked for any of this to happen! Never!"

Splinter could have slapped himself. Of course he was mad at the boy right now, but he should have anticipated that the trust between them was still too fragile for Leonardo to accept his words for what they truly were: the clumsy expression of a father's concern.

Leonardo stubbornly wiped his tears away and turned round, ready to… what? Go to his room? Run away?

Michelangelo must have wondered the same, because he swiftly stood up and hugged his brother from behind.

"Leo, please," Michelangelo begged. "Don't take any rash decision you're going to regret later. Things will look brighter after a good night sleep, okay? Come on. I'll make you some tea."

Leonardo had stiffened at his brother's embrace, but he didn't try to break free of it and slowly nodded at his suggestion. Michelangelo glanced at his father, who nodded his permission.

As they left the dojo, Splinter looked back at his two remaining sons, who looked tense and on the verge of forgetting every dojo etiquette to run after their brothers.

"We'll continue this conversation on the morning," he said despondently. "You're dismissed."

* * *

Shredder was pacing back and forth in front of his throne.

Hamato Yoshi was in New York, and he had trained mutants to become ninja. Turtle mutants, of that he was certain, but maybe other mutants too? Maybe his nemesis was training an army of ninja to attack the Foot?

The turtles had almost stolen the anti-mutant weapon. It was highly unlikely that they would use it.

_No, they were trying to protect themselves. Or others… The fools!_

Shredder turned towards Bradford, who lay at his feet.

"Karai told me about a mutant hideout. Do you know where it is?"

"Y-yes, Master Shredder," Bradford managed to utter despite the pain he was in.

"Very well. Then I believe it is time for us to test this newly acquired weapon."

Shredder hoped it was worth its price. Soothing Steranko hadn't been easy, but it had definitely been expensive.

"This is your last chance," he said ominously to his servant. "For your own sake, I hope you don't waste it."

Then the black armored man began giving his orders.

* * *

It was early morning and the city was slowly waking up. April and Casey, however, were already well awake and hurrying to the mutant's hideout.

"Are you sure of what Leatherhead said?" Casey asked, not for the first time.

"Yes," April answered, irritated. "He said: 'I think I'm going to take a nap now.'"

"And you believe it's concerning?"

"We were in the middle of a conversation! Of course I believe it's concerning!"

Casey sighed.

"Okay, okay. Then… maybe we could tell the guys?"

"It's the middle of the night for them. It's concerning, but not _that_ concerning."

Casey moaned.

"You didn't mind waking _me_ up."

"You're a human. You rise by sunrise."

"Maybe _you_ do. I'm not a morning person."

"Stop complaining, Casey Jones. We're almost there. We check on Leatherhead so I'm reassured, and then I'll buy you ice cream, okay?"

"Looks like a deal, Red."

As they neared the mutants' hideout, however, April had to reconsider her offer. She felt wrong vibrations all over the place.

"It's bad," she whispered. "It's really bad. Let's warn the guys."

She took her T-phone and tried to call Donatello, but the genius didn't answer. She swore inwardly.

"Any chance with Raph?" She asked Casey.

"Nope. He must be in silent mode. He does that sometimes, when he's on special ninja stealth missions."

"Isn't he supposed to sleep right now?"

"Maybe he forgot to deactivate it. Or maybe he's just too deeply asleep."

"Let's try the others."

As neither Michelangelo nor Leonardo answered, the two teenagers looked at each other.

"Looks like we're on our own," April whispered. "Be careful."

"Casey Jones does _awesome_ , not _careful_."

April glared at the boy.

"But maybe Casey Jones can make an exception this time. For you, awesome Red."

She rolled her eyes and the two of them cautiously entered the building.

* * *

"What happened here?" Casey exclaimed, aghast.

" _Hush!_ "

"Sorry. I mean, what happened here?" Casey whispered, aghast.

Mutants were scattered everywhere on the floor. April was already running to the closest.

"Merely asleep," she whispered. "I don't sense any alien presence here, but we still have to be careful. They could come back."

She began running from mutant to mutant, checking that each of them was breathing.

Casey nodded and did the same. As he was helping April putting a heavy tree mutant in a more comfortable position, he heard a groan.

The teenager quickly found its source.

"Mondo?" He exclaimed, rushing to the side of the gecko mutant. "You're awake? What happened?"

"Gas… Sleepy…"

Mondo's voice was raspy.

"Bad man, horrible man… Woke me up…"

The gecko grasped Casey's shirt in panic.

"Calm down, Mondo," Casey soothed him.

Behind him, April put a comforting hand on the gecko's shoulder.

"Wanted to know where the turtle's lair is… didn't tell him…I'm… courageous…"

Casey exchanged a glance with April. It wasn't the right time to tell him that he didn't know anyway. Michelangelo considered that his friend wasn't good at keeping such secrets.

"Of course you are, Mondo," April said gently. "What happened next?"

"I don't know… Just… Gone…"

April nodded.

"Alright. Don't worry, Mondo, it's okay now."

Casey swore.

"We need to talk to the guys as soon as possible. They're still not answering. I'm going to the lair."

April nodded.

"I'll stay here and check the other mutants. I'll know if someone comes inside and I'll hide, so don't worry."

Casey bit his lip nervously before nodding reluctantly. He didn't like leaving April alone, but she could take care of herself. And he had to warn the turtles. He waved at her before leaving the building.

_I hope they're okay,_ Casey thought, on the verge of panicking. _Surely they are. The lair is secret._

But what if they weren't in the lair?

_Then I'll ask Master Splinter. He'll know what to do. It's going to be just fine._

Running away as fast as he could, Casey Jones made for the turtles' lair.

Utterly unaware of the shadows following him.

* * *

Donatello woke up with a start. He had been dreaming that he was dancing in a nightclub with April, but now he realized that this dream had been induced by the flashing lights in his bedroom.

The flashing red lights he had set up to warn him from any intrusion within the lair.

A few seconds later, the alarm went off. Donatello threw his blankets away and stood up.

The genius had tuned his security system so that it wouldn't react to allies like April or Casey, or to his father or brothers.

At least Michelangelo and Raphael. He hadn't taken the time to do the same for Leonardo yet. A fact that had allowed him to be informed of Leonardo's attempt at a solo spying mission - which he had inadvertently forgotten to mention to his brother.

But it didn't matter yet. He ran to the dojo to retrieve his bo staff, checking his T-phone in the process.

"Multiple intruders," he shouted to the others, who were running just like him, Michelangelo pulling a baffled Leonardo by the arm. "I have them on camera…"

Donatello opened his mouth, suddenly speechless.

"Donnie!" Raphael shouted. "What's happening?"

"It's the Foot," the purple-clad turtle managed to answer. "They followed Casey here."

Casey reached the turnstiles at that moment and he jumped them, panicked.

"Guys! What's the big commotion?"

"The Foot followed you here, you bonehead!" Raphael shouted.

"WHAT?"

"My sons," Splinter said hurriedly, taking his sword. "We have to get out of here. We can't let the Shredder find us…"

"Too late," a sarcastic voice echoed. "I must say the form of a rat suits you, Yoshi."

* * *

Leonardo was living a nightmare. He had gone to bed only half an hour before, after his brothers had managed to convince him that of course, he was wanted here, and Splinter was only mad at them, nothing new, although he had rarely been _that_ mad at them, but _of course_ he still loved them, Leonardo included, and now the lair was filling with Foot ninja and his brothers and Casey were fighting for their lives.

While Master Splinter was dueling the Shredder in a blur of steel. Master against Master. Brother against brother.

"I don't know who these turtles are, Yoshi," Shredder spat. "But know that I'll enjoy destroying them, one by one."

"Leave my sons alone!" Splinter shouted.

Oroku Saki merely laughed.

"Your sons? How wretched. But then, how appropriate!"

He turned to Leonardo, who would have been knocked out if Splinter hadn't blocked the blow.

"And to think that I've let you breathe the same air as my daughter for so long. For that betrayal, your death will be slow and painful," Shredder spat.

Leonardo clenched his fists, kicking a Foot soldier in the stomach and managing to avoid his blade in the process. He noticed that his brothers and Casey were surrounding him, protecting him the best they could.

But the Foot ninja were too numerous, and for every soldier knocked out, two came back.

"We must retreat," Splinter shouted to his family. "To the sewers!"

The four turtles and the teenager nodded and slowly headed for the exit of the place that had sheltered them for so long. Splinter covered their retreat the best he could, taking the full might of Shredder's attacks.

The five mutants and Casey managed to leave the lair and reach the sewers. To Leonardo's surprise, the Shredder looked like he approved of their escape. The turtle wondered why, until he saw that more and more Foot soldiers were coming between Splinter and his family.

"They're trying to split us apart!" Leonardo shouted.

"We're not going to let them," Raphael shouted back, trying to come closer to his father.

"Go, my sons! Escape! Don't worry about me!"

"No!" Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael immediately answered while Leonardo stayed quiet, trying to estimate his father's chances against half of the Foot clan. Leader included.

"Do it, my sons!" Splinter insisted, as the flow of ninja inexorably pulled him away.

"But…" Leonardo finally said, as the result of his estimation appeared in all its bleak horror.

Despite being caught in a furious fight, Splinter managed to turn at him and smile.

"I love you, my son. None of this is your fault, remember? You're not to blame."

Leonardo's eyes stung.

"But you said…"

"I was angry, and I was wrong," Splinter panted. "Now go!"

"You should have listened to you daddy, boy," Bradford's voice suddenly gritted. "Come with me. I have a grudge with you, mutant, and I'll make you pay."

The Foot soldier was at the head of another group of ninja and attacked them from the rear. Raphael roared and launched himself at him.

"Don't kill him, Bradford," Shredder said with authority. "I want him alive. Do what you want with the others."

"Yes, Master Shredder," Chris Bradford answered, blocking Raphael's blow with difficulty. He was limping worse than before, Leonardo realized.

"The Foot are everywhere in the sewers!" Casey shouted. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"Not far!" Donatello shouted back. "Follow me!"

"But what about Splinter?" Leonardo asked desperately, dodging another attack and wishing he could do more.

The ninja rat was now at the other side of the tunnel with Shredder and the majority of the Foot soldiers, and his sons had no chance of reaching him.

"He's a master ninja," Michelangelo gritted. "He can do this."

_He has to_ , he silently added.

Just before being pulled around the corner, Splinter caught one last time Leonardo's horrified gaze.

He knew his son had guessed that he wouldn't be able to defend himself against both Shredder and that many Foot. At least not for much longer. But he was determined to give his family the time they needed to escape.

Oroku Saki knew it too. As the turtles and Casey disappeared from their sight, he laughed.

"Finally. After all this time, you're finally mine."


	26. Shattered

The turtles had lost sight of Splinter.

"No!" Michelangelo shouted. "Dad!"

Doing a headstand, he sent a Foot soldier flying through the air with one powerful kick. Behind him, Raphael was standing his ground against Bradford. Casey was fighting back-to-back with Leonardo, rotating in rhythm with him and disarming their opponents with his hockey stick so that the turtle could knock them out with kicks and punches. Donatello was leading them through the sewer tunnel, making a way with graceful swirls of his bo staff.

However, it was clear to everyone that the turtles were already exhausted and wouldn't be able to keep on fighting for much longer.

"This way," Donatello gritted. "Only a few meters left…"

"You…better…have…something…really…clever…in store," Raphael panted.

"Trust me," Donatello replied, although there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Bradford grinned.

"Don't get your hopes too high, mutants," he spat. "Like your father, you won't live to see another day."

Raphael roared and redoubled his attacks against the Foot ninja, repelling him a few meters away.

Enough to allow them to reach a metallic door.

"It's there!" Donatello shouted, typing something in his T-phone. The door opened with a crack.

"There?" Michelangelo shouted. "The abandoned tunnel? It's collapsed on both sides!"

"I know, Mikey!" Donatello replied before disappearing on the other side of the door.

His brothers and Casey quickly followed him. Raphael and the human teenager stayed on the doorstep to prevent the Foot from entering too, while Donatello switched on his T-phone light and began running to a shadowy form.

From what Leonardo could tell, this place was an abandoned subway section, maybe ten meters long. The rest of the tunnel was indeed collapsed.

"It's a dead-end," he shouted.

"I know, Leo!" Donatello shouted back. "Don't worry, I've got this!"

Considering the circumstances, there was no way Leonardo would stop worrying. He nonetheless followed Donatello to the mysterious shape.

Was it a…

Wagon?

Donatello had disappeared inside. A few seconds later, blinding headlights illuminated the darkness.

"Everyone, on board!" Donatello's voice resounded from a loudspeaker.

"Wow, Donnie," Michelangelo gaped.

It was an accurate summary of what the others thought.

"It's not going to pass through the door," Leonardo remarked nonetheless, jumping inside with Michelangelo and closely followed by Raphael and Casey.

The Foot ninja hurried after them and tried to pull them outside, but the wagon's door slid shut with a loud bang and they got little for their efforts.

"We're not using the door," Donatello retorted, pushing buttons on a very impressive control panel.

Under their eyes, the front of the wagon was deformed until it looked like a giant drill.

Donatello hit the accelerator and the wagon began zeroing in on the collapsed tunnel section.

"Are you sure it's going to work, Donnie?" Casey asked with apprehension. "I don't want to die flattened under tons of rocks."

"I'm seventy per cent sure," Donatello replied, dead serious. "I haven't had the time to complete my tests."

The others looked at each other, temporarily speechless. Then realization hit them hard, and they began screaming.

* * *

"It worked," Michelangelo said in a hoarse voice. "Good, that's good."

At his side, Raphael nodded stiffly, still in a state of baffled shock.

"I must say I'm impressed, Donnie. I really thought we were all going to die."

"You're a genius amongst geniuses," Leonardo croaked.

The wagon's drill had efficiently broken through the collapsed rocks and pieces of concrete, to everyone's deepest relief. Donatello smiled knowingly. It felt good to be appreciated.

"The good thing is, we lost the Foot," Casey stated.

The mention of the ninja clan who had attacked them snapped the turtles out of their trance.

"We've got to come back for Sensei!" Raphael shouted.

"I'm trying to locate him," Donatello shouted back. "Let me check my cameras…"

The genius typed something on the control panel, and views of different areas of the sewers displayed on the screens.

"There!" Michelangelo shouted. "He's there!"

Donatello quickly enlarged the picture. Their father was still fighting the Shredder and the Foot.

"We can be there in less than two minutes," he said excitedly, bending over the control panel to adjust the settings. Maybe they would need to drill through a few walls, but the wagon could probably take it…

Donatello had barely stopped talking that he heard his brothers gasp.

Raising his head quickly, he could only watch helplessly as their father was knocked out on screen and dragged away by the Shredder.

* * *

Shredder was looking with great satisfaction at the beaten up and chained up rat in front of him.

All things considered, it had been an excellent day.

First, the anti-mutant weapon worked. It would require a few adjustments, but it had played its part well.

Second, the most fierce-looking mutants were right now in the Foot cells. Maybe they could be of use.

_If not, I'll kill them._

Last but not least, his nemesis was defeated and entirely within his power.

There was only one negative point. Bradford had failed, once again, and the turtles had escaped.

_It doesn't matter. They will try to rescue their father, or to avenge themselves if they think he's dead. I only have to wait for them._

Shredder aimlessly kicked the rat's ribs, enjoying the wince of pain that escaped the lips of his former brother.

"I hope your new accommodation is to your taste," he told him with cold irony.

Not that Shredder cared, or that it mattered. The rat wouldn't stay here for very long anyway.

Hamato Yoshi was living his last hours in this world.

* * *

Raphael punched the wagon's wall.

They were too late. They had tried to catch up with Shredder and the Foot, but the ninja had vanished. After exploring the adjacent tunnels, they had resigned to leave the area in order to avoid any pursuit from Bradford.

The red-clad turtle was trying hard not to shout at his best friend. He knew placing blame was useless, and he knew Casey was no match for Shredder's cunning – he wasn't even ninja, dammit! – but it was so _hard_.

Because their father was now missing, between the hands of a madman, and…

Raphael shook his head, refusing to think that Master Splinter might already be dead.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to the others. Leonardo was sitting on the floor, head between his knees, and Raphael didn't need a second glance to know that he was guilt-tripping. Michelangelo had an arm around Donatello's shoulders, and was watching the screens as the genius typed madly on his control panel. Views of sewer sites, chat discussions and even blueprints passed at top speed before their eyes.

Casey's phone buzzed and he picked it up.

"It's April," the teenager said miserably. "She didn't find Leatherhead, and several other mutants are missing."

He had just told them what April and he had found earlier.

"Shredder probably captured them," Donatello said in a strained voice.

"Then we'll have to rescue them too," Michelangelo said determinedly. "We're not giving up."

"That's talking, Mikey," Raphael approved. Despite his exhaustion, he was ready to attack the Foot headquarters if necessary.

And it would probably be necessary.

"Let's join April," Donatello decided. "This baby can also camouflage as an almost normal truck, you'll see."

"I'm with you," Casey said somberly.

Leonardo said nothing, and Raphael sat on the floor next to him, putting an arm around his shell for silent comfort. He didn't know what to tell his brother.

Leonardo tensed before leaning against him.

"We had been arguing," he whispered miserably.

"Every family does," Raphael said softly. "Now we have to stick together. Master Splinter needs us."

The sai wielder hoped it wasn't already too late.

"Yeah," Michelangelo added. "He was… he was only knocked out, right? So there's still hope."

Understanding his brothers' underlying fear, Leonardo straightened. Despite what Splinter had said to him in the end, he felt terribly guilty. But his brothers needed him right now, and he had given some thought to the matter.

"Shredder won't … kill Splinter… immediately. We have at least twelve hours to rescue him."

"How can you be so sure?" Michelangelo exclaimed, while Donatello and Raphael watched him with hopeful expressions.

Leonardo closed his eyes briefly.

"Because…" He began slowly, the words tasting bitter in his mouth. "He will want Karai to witness Hamato Yoshi's demise."

* * *

Karai collapsed on her thin mattress, groaning. The day had been exhausting. Running in the countryside, fighting, trying to escape, being forced to do push-ups while reciting mantras to the glory of the Foot, trying to escape again…

This was ridiculous.

What were they thinking? That they could _tame_ her?

The very thought made her growl.

Her father was definitely exaggerating sometimes. She knew she had been lacking in her duties, but still…

_Well, at least the food is decent_.

Karai rolled over and watched the bare ceiling. For the thousandth time in the last weeks, she wondered how Leonardo was doing in New York City.

And what had he been hiding from her?

She would have stolen a cell phone long ago if she had remembered his number, but that was something she had never been good at.

_When we meet again, you better spit it out fast. I'm not going to be patient after so much time confined here, even with you!_

Karai suddenly heard a key being turned into her door's lock. One of the permanent servants of the Foot Boot Camp entered, handing her a cell phone.

"Master Shredder wishes to speak with you," she said.

Tilting her head, Karai took the phone with curiosity.

"Father," she said respectfully. "Have you finally decided to let me come back to New York?"

She listened intently to her father's response, and her eyes widened.

"What? You captured Hamato Yoshi? This is amazing! Yes, of course I want to kill him with you!"

She stood and began pacing excitedly. Not only would she be back in New York City soon, but she would also get her revenge! Things were definitely brightening up!

"How did this happen? Where was he hiding?"

As her father answered, Karai abruptly stopped, growing paler and paler with each passing second. Had she understood correctly?

"Leonardo is… what?"


	27. Chapter 27: Showdown, Part 1

In the private jet bringing her back to New York City, Karai was morosely watching the clouds through the windows, her black sunglasses hiding the dark rings under her eyes.

Now she understood why Leonardo hadn't wanted her to go to the lair with the others. Of course, he didn't want her to know that Hamato Yoshi was his father.

Learning that her childhood friend was the son of the man she hated more than anything else in the world had been a hard blow. Karai hadn't been able to sleep since take-off, and she was almost at her destination.

_No wonder he didn't care about you, Leo._

Despite being mad at her friend for not telling her the second he learned about it, Karai wasn't blaming him.

_It's not your fault. You didn't choose your father._

Her main concern was that her own father would probably not see things the same way.

* * *

"Alright, guys. Everyone knows what he has to do?"

April was watching the small team they formed, hands on her hips.

Four exhausted turtles and a teenage human boy nodded determinedly.

They had spent the last hours establishing a rescue plan.

The fact that Leatherhead had been captured actually played in their favor. The giant alligator mutant still had the tiny transmitter that allowed him to be telepathically contacted by April. The teenage girl had kept trying talking to him until Leatherhead had finally woken up and be able to answer her.

So they had inside information.

The giant mutant was a prisoner in a basement, along with several other mutants. He hadn't been able to tell them if Splinter was in the area. Besides, April had worked a lot on improving her talents with Donatello and Master Splinter in the past months, and she had been able to approximately locate the Kraang transmitter. It was indeed in the Foot headquarters.

Donatello, Leonardo – who had become excellent at picking locks - and April would head for the basement and try to free the mutants, who would then help them defeat the Foot. Michelangelo and Raphael would look for the anti-mutant weapon and steal or destroy it. Both teams would look for Splinter and keep the others informed.

They would enter thanks to the confusion created by Michelangelo's idea of a diversion.

The orange-clad turtle had hired Casey and spread the word on his social networks that free pizza was being offered in the square next to the Foot headquarters, pretexting the opening of a new Modern Art museum. And adding pictures of the headquarters.

"The Foot brought it upon themselves," Michelangelo had said. "With their wild wall paintings."

Raphael had shaken his head, dubious.

But now, he had to acknowledge that it was working. Dozens of curious people were watching Shredder's lair, a piece of pizza in hand. Casey would soon join them to keep them interested and protect them if necessary. So far, nervous Foot ninja were watching them from the windows and entrance.

"Then let's get going," April nodded firmly, and the six teenagers set to work.

* * *

Leonardo was following Donatello and April. They had come in through a window while the Foot ninja were busy wondering why so many people wanted to eat pizza looking at their secret hideout, then gone their separate ways.

Leonardo's thoughts weren't especially cheerful. He kept thinking about the last disastrous conversation he had had with Splinter, and worrying about Karai's reaction at the news of Hamato Yoshi's capture and the revelation of her best friend's origins. And wondering if he would ever see Murakami again.

Earlier that day, the upset turtle had slipped out for an hour to go see his blind father. He didn't want him to learn from anyone else what he was going to do in the next few hours. Although he could tell that his father was extremely concerned, the cook hadn't tried to dissuade him, which his son was grateful for.

Leonardo merely hoped that he hadn't hugged him for the last time.

* * *

Leatherhead was waiting patiently in his cell. April had told him that she would soon come rescue him, and the giant mutant trusted her without question.

He took deep, cleansing breaths. Being locked up again reminded him of the time he had spent in Stockman's prison.

These weren't happy memories.

But his stay in Shredder's jail wouldn't last long. Soon, he would be free again, thanks to the same girl who had already saved his life and his sanity once.

Then Leatherhead would unleash his fury on the ignorant fools who had dared to drug and capture him.

* * *

Michelangelo and Raphael were stealthily walking through the hallways. So far, they hadn't run into any Foot ninja.

Maybe most of them were resting after their invasion of the turtles' lair.

_Or better, they're still in the infirmary,_ Raphael thought ferociously.

"Where would you put an anti-mutant weapon, if you were an evil Foot ninja?" Michelangelo whispered suddenly.

"I don't know, Mikey. In my bathroom?" Raphael answered sarcastically.

In his defense, it was the twentieth time Michelangelo asked this question since they had left the others.

Michelangelo didn't seem to mind his answer.

"If I was an evil Foot ninja, I think I would sleep with it," he mused. "Maybe we could check the bedrooms?"

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

"The bedrooms it is, then. I knew you would agree with me."

* * *

Leonardo knocked out from behind another Foot soldier who was guarding the basement. It was easier than he would have thought. For some reason, they kept their attention focused on the huge, spiky, dangerous-looking mutants within the cells, and not at all on the hallway.

"Leatherhead is that way! Just around the corner!" April whispered excitedly, searching the collapsed man's pockets to see if he had any keys. Without success.

"I'll go with you and free him," Donatello immediately said. "Leo?"

"I'll free the mutants locked up in that area," Leonardo answered. "I'll call if I need any help."

Donatello nodded sharply and ran after April.

* * *

Karai was heading for her father's throne room when the alarm set off.

"Every available Foot ninja has to go to the basement. I repeat, to every available Foot ninja: go to the basement. Mutants are escaping."

Frowning, the kunoichi hesitated. She didn't want to keep her father waiting for her, but… She had an inkling that a certain mutant of her knowledge had something to do with it.

Swearing, she turned away and hurtled down.

* * *

"I told you it was a bad idea, Mikey. Nothing here, except asleep Foot ninja and smelly uniforms," Raphael whispered, arms crossed. "Let's go look for Splinter."

Michelangelo had somehow managed to find the Foot dormitory and was striding along the aisles.

Michelangelo shook his head, an unusually dark expression on his face.

"Didn't you hear what Casey and April say? This weapon can get us to sleep – or worse - in a matter of seconds. If they keep it, we stand no chance."

Raphael watched his brother for a few seconds before sighing. Michelangelo was right, he knew it.

"It's still nowhere in this room."

"Are you sure, Raph?" Michelangelo suddenly whispered, bending over a bed.

Raphael silently came closer, and gaped.

The black briefcase that had contained the anti-mutant weapon was lying open on a nearby chair, while the Foot soldier occupying the bed was hugging a long strange-looking weapon.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Raphael gagged the man with one hand and immobilized his arms with the other, putting him on his shoulder and carrying him out of the room.

Michelangelo took the weapon carefully and followed them.

Startled awake, the Foot soldier was watching them with wide, terrified eyes. Raphael waited until they were in a deserted room to remove his hand from the man's mouth, but not before he had uttered a few threatening words in his ear.

"So, this weapon," he said casually, pointing at it. "Is it really the anti-mutant weapon you used against our friends?"

The Foot soldier whimpered.

"Please. I'm a scientist. Don't hurt me."

"A scientist, uh?" Raphael tilted his head. "But they are good and bad scientists, right? Like there are good and bad mutants. See my brother, here? He's a good mutant. I, on the contrary…"

"It needed adjustments," the terrified Foot soldier said in haste. "I was supposed to make them, but I was so tired… I thought I would only take a quick nap, but…"

"So it _is_ the weapon we are looking for. Very well. And do you happen to know where the giant rat you captured has been taken?"

"In… in Master Shredder's throne room… He's only waiting for his daughter now, to… to…"

Raphael fought to keep his calm, threatening tone.

"And where is the throne room?"

"On the upper level," the Foot soldier answered with a cry. "Please, Sir…"

Raphael grunted and knocked him out.

"Nice job, Raph," Michelangelo said. "You're doing a pretty convincing bad guy."

"Thank you. Now, where do we put this in the meantime?" Raphael answered, pointing at the weapon. "It's too dangerous to keep it with us while we rescue Master Splinter."

"Hmm," Michelangelo answered. "I think your first idea will do."

Raphael blinked.

"My first idea?"

"Yeah. You know, the bathroom."

* * *

Leonardo was trying to reach Donatello and April through the prevailing chaos. Opening one of the cells must have triggered an alarm, because Foot soldiers were arriving in waves to the basement cells.

_Good thing the mutants are now free_ , he thought.

Leonardo hoped that Raphael and Michelangelo had managed to find the anti-mutant weapon in time.

He suddenly felt a familiar presence nearby. Before he had the time to react, someone threw an arm across his shell and pushed him in a nearby cell, half-closing the door behind them.

Leonardo's eyes widened.

"Karai! Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, you idiot," Karai gritted. "Now tell me, what are you doing here?"

Leonardo swore. He had chosen to keep his lock-picking equipment with him and given Donatello the rest of what he had brought, because his brother's jacket allowed him to carry more items. He hadn't thought that they would split up so fast.

And now, he was missing an object that would have been extremely useful in the present situation.

"Come with me, Karai, please," he begged. "I've something extremely important to show you."

"I don't have time, Leo," Karai shook her head. "Have you any idea how mad my father is at you right now? Even I can't get through to him. Why would you do something as stupid as coming in this home?"

"I came for my _father_ ," Leonardo answered. "He's innocent!"

Karai narrowed her eyes. What was Leonardo talking about?

"Go away, Leo," she whispered urgently. "I won't be able to protect you from my father this time."

"Karai, listen to me! It's important! Shredder is lying to you, he…"

Karai shook her head and put a finger across Leonardo's mouth.

"Hush. I know you're confused, discovering that you're the son of Hamato Yoshi must have been upsetting, but you can't believe whatever lies he told you. He killed my mother, Leo! Remember?"

Leonardo grasped her wrist desperately.

"No, he didn't. Oroku Saki did."

Karai's eyes widened.

"Now Leo, that's nonsense. Why would Father kill his own wife?"

"She wasn't his wife, Karai, she was Yoshi's! And you're not his daughter, you're Yoshi's daughter! My sister!"

Karai took a few steps backwards, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Leo, stop that! I thought you understood how much it hurts _every day_ to have lost my mother. Why would you want to add lies on top of that?"

"Karai, you know me," Leonardo told her with intensity, his deep blue eyes focused on her. "Do you really think I'm lying right now?"

Karai looked him in the eye, and slowly nodded.

"No," she said softly. "I think you believe in what you say. All the more reason to deal with Hamato Yoshi once and for all! He's the one who put this web of lies inside your head!"

"Karai… Please, come with me! I can prove it to you! We just need to find my brother Donnie and…"

"Because Donnie is here too? You've got to go, Leo, you've really got to go."

Shaking her head and sending him a last pained look, Karai turned round and left. Leonardo watched her depart with a heavy heart.

_You're the one entangled in a web of lies, Karai._

Then he left the cell and ran after Donatello to retrieve the proof he needed.

* * *

The alarm had also been heard in the throne room, where Splinter was lying at Shredder's feet, chained up from head to toes.

The Shredder frowned, annoyed. If he had anticipated that the turtles would come, he had thought that they would try to reach their father first, not free the other mutants.

_It seems that these turtles are a bigger annoyance than I had previously thought._

However, he wasn't concerned. The anti-mutant weapon would put them to rest in no time. It had to be ready by now.

Of course, Shredder had no means to know that his precious weapon was right now in a toilet tank next to the Foot dormitory, courtesy of Michelangelo and Raphael.

The door of the throne room opened and Karai appeared, almost out of breath.

"Father," she bowed. "I'm here."

"Excellent, my daughter. Come here."

Turning, Shredder addressed Bradford.

"Go to the antechamber, and keep everyone out. We need some privacy."

Bradford reluctantly nodded and limped out of the room. Shredder watched him depart pensively. Maybe he should ease up on physical punishments. The man didn't look so good.

* * *

"Splinter is on the upper level!" Donatello shouted to April and Leonardo, who had just joined them and wore a determined expression.

"Go find him!" April shouted. "I'll stay help the mutants!"

She was on Leatherhead's back right now, cheering him with ferocity.

Leonardo and Donatello nodded and left the basement, running. The Foot ninja were too busy dealing with the more dangerous-looking mutants to pay them any attention. While passing through, Donatello casually used his bo staff to trip a few of them.

Although the stairs seemed endless to the two desperate turtles, they finally reached the top. Echoes of a fight could be heard behind a metallic door. Leonardo pushed it wide open.

Inside the room – an antechamber, apparently – Michelangelo and Raphael were fighting Bradford and the Shredder's elite guard.

"It would have been too easy, wouldn't it?" Donatello mumbled before jumping into the fight.

Leonardo followed him, and the metallic door closed behind them.


	28. Chapter 28: Showdown, Part 2

On the other side of the room, Leonardo could see two huge and beautifully carved black doors.

_If that's not the throne room…_

"You!" Bradford shouted, noticing him and kicking Raphael out of the way. "You're going to pay for what my master did to me after the Purple Dragons fiasco! After the Steranko fiasco! After…"

"I got it, you're mad," Leonardo replied, jumping backwards to avoid the man's sword.

His red-clad brother quickly placed himself in front of him and used his sai to block Bradford's attack.

Donatello and Michelangelo were fighting against the four members of Shredder's elite guard. They needed reinforcements. Leonardo tried to go to them, but Bradford managed to get past Raphael's guard and sent him against the wall.

Leonardo collapsed with a groan.

Bradford raised his sword, ready to crush him. At the last second, Leonardo slid to the side to avoid the blow.

Bradford's sword fell on the wall. It must have somehow cut through the power supply, because the light switched off.

Leaving them in total darkness.

* * *

Donatello and Michelangelo froze. They were used to fighting in the darkness, but they still needed some light, no matter how faint.

In here, they couldn't see a thing.

_The good thing is, the other side can't either_ , Donatello thought.

They couldn't use their T-phones. It would have made them easy targets.

Donatello waved his bo staff at random, and heard Michelangelo grunt at his side. _Oops. Sorry, Mikey! But you were supposed to be on my other side!_

Next to him, Michelangelo swirled his nunchucks carefully, not daring to use them without seeing his target. What if he hit Raphael or Leonardo instead?

Speaking of Raphael, he was grunting at this very instant. Had he been hit? Had he stumbled over something?

Being unable to see was so annoying.

The Foot didn't seem to have scruples going on fighting, because the flat of a sword hit Michelangelo on the shoulder. The turtle winced and took a step backwards, right into…

_Ouch! Sorry, Donnie! I thought you were on my left!_

On the other side of the room, Raphael had just been kicked by Bradford. A lucky shot, at least for the Foot soldier. He waved a sai at random, hoping to trip his adversary, but he only moved air.

Bradford, however, didn't only move air when he kicked again. Raphael let out a wince of pain.

Then he heard Bradford let out a surprised cry, and he felt his mass collapse on the floor. Behind him, he heard the sounds of other bodies hitting the ground.

"What the shell?"

"Shh," a soft voice whispered in his ear while a three-fingered hand took his wrist.

Raphael bit his lip, allowing Leonardo to pull him behind him.

* * *

Leonardo had begun moving as soon as the light had been switched off. He couldn't see, but he could feel air displacement, hear the soft rustle of clothes and the characteristic sound of steel and wooden weapons coming one way or the other, and smell human and turtle scents.

And he had memorized the location of every single object in the room when he had first entered it.

As he heard his brothers' grunts and bumps, he walked with sure steps behind each of the Foot ninja in the room and knocked them out, skillfully avoiding the blows they threw at random.

His instinct sharpened by the multiple times he had asked his Sensei and his brothers to demonstrate their moves, focused on the sounds and air displacement as much as on actually _watching_ the sequences, and by the countless hours of his childhood he had spent exercising his body to move in total darkness.

It was only another round of let's-play-being-blind-like-Daddy for him.

He wasn't a match for any of the ninja present in this room if they could see him, but if they were _blinded_ …

Then everything was different.

Leonardo bent and twisted, pressed his fingers on pressure points, kicked and punched, and soon enough he knew he and his brothers were the only ones still standing in the room.

He caught Raphael's wrist and led him to Donatello, caught Donatello's wrist and linked him to Raphael's other hand, caught Michelangelo's hand…

"Leo?" Michelangelo exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hush," Leonardo said, linking his hand to Donatello's.

His three baffled brothers in single file behind him, he walked to the throne room's door and opened it.

* * *

Shredder was smiling lovingly to his daughter.

"You can hit him first. But don't kill him. He deserves to suffer for what he did to your mother."

At her father's side, Karai swallowed hard. The chained up and gagged rat in front of her couldn't talk, but his eyes were looking at her with an expression that wasn't hateful at all. It was kind, and almost… almost loving…

Leonardo's words echoed in her head. ' _You're Yoshi's daughter! My sister!'_

_It's just an illusion. He's a ninja master. Even in this state, he can play with my mind…_

Biting her lip, she drew her blade.

* * *

Leonardo ran inside the throne room, closing his eyes briefly to protect them from the sudden brightness. _Please, it can't be too late,_ he pleaded. _Please._

When he opened his eyes again and saw Karai ready to strike, he shouted, throwing the small frame he had retrieved from Donatello earlier.

"Karai! Catch!"

The kunoichi interrupted her move and extended her arms to catch the object flying towards her. A reflex born from each time she had played with Leonardo on the rooftops of Tokyo, his voice singing in her ears and a playful smile on his face…

But this time, Leonardo wasn't smiling and his voice was hoarse with anxiety.

_Leo!_ She thought furiously. _What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?_

Karai looked at the rectangular-shaped object in her hands.

_An old frame?_

She turned it, and the picture she saw took her breath away.

It was the complete version of the torn picture she possessed herself, the only image she had of her mother.

And the man embracing Tang Shen wasn't Oroku Saki.

' _She wasn't his wife, Karai, she was Yoshi's!'_

But then…

Karai looked at the man she had considered as her father for so long, horrified.

"I'm not… I'm not your daughter?"

* * *

Shredder watched his daughter's expression, his heart breaking.

Karai wasn't Yoshi's daughter, she was his own. Tang Shen should have been his too. She would have been, if not for Yoshi's interference. Yoshi was a fool who didn't deserve them. It was only justice that Saki brought the girl up.

And now Yoshi's old picture was putting doubt on his beloved daughter's face.

It had to end, now. With Yoshi dead, with Yoshi out of the picture, then she would come back to her senses. And see that he, Saki, was her true father. The one she deserved.

Shredder turned to Splinter and raised his gauntlet to strike a killing blow, aiming at the rat's head.

As he lowered his arm, his daughter jumped with a cry, placing herself between Yoshi and him.

Taking the blow that had never been meant for her.

Like her mother had done, all these years ago.

As she collapsed with a cry, Shredder howled.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Leonardo shouted, along with the Shredder. He ran to catch Karai in her fall while Raphael was using his sai to free Splinter from his chains, and the giant ninja master rat threw himself at Saki with his claws out, the two of them rolling on the floor…

"Karai, no," Leonardo choked.

Karai gazed at him in surprise and she coughed blood.

"I told you… to go away…" She whispered. "Do you… never… listen?"

Then she closed her eyes with a sigh.

Leonardo let out a strangled cry and hid his face against her neck.

He could feel her chest going up and down, up and down…

_She's breathing? She's breathing!_ Leonardo realized, raising his head brusquely.

Donatello was at his side, and he quickly checked up the young kunoichi.

"Her armor…" The purple-clad turtle murmured. "It took the worst of the blow. But we need to get her to a hospital, now!"

Leonardo nodded and stood up. Splinter and Shredder were still fighting madly, and he noticed that Bradford was standing in the doorway, looking horrified…

_I should have hit him harder._

* * *

Bradford came closer to Karai. He knew what he had seen. The girl had betrayed Master Shredder! How could she? He raised his sword slowly, his face frozen in a vengeful expression. This deserved punishment, this…

"Stay away from her!" Shredder shouted, seeing him from the corner of his eye and sending him tumbling across the room with a powerful blow.

However, that move prevented him from avoiding Splinter's last attack, and the Shredder collapsed on the ground, paralyzed. His helmet rolled off with a metallic clatter.

Splinter barely glanced at his defeated enemy before running over to his daughter and taking her in his arms.

Karai's eyelids fluttered open.

"Fa…ther?"

"My daughter," Splinter cried. "My Miwa. Do not worry. You will be safe… You will be safe…"

Karai exhaled and buried her head in Splinter's tattered robes.

* * *

_He_ was on the floor, in terrible pain, a discarded pet dog who didn't know what he had done so wrong.

_He_ had always done everything his master wanted, bent to his every whim, done his best to meet his highest expectations. And his loyalty had been rewarded with contempt and pain.

While _she_ … she could betray her father and he still would hand the Foot clan to her on a silver plate.

Bradford felt cold, burning rage overwhelm his limbs and give him the strength to crawl towards the collapsed form of his master.

The energy to draw his hidden dagger at the man who had taught him everything, for better or for worse.

The will to stab his exposed neck.

* * *

"Traitor!" Someone shouted.

Leonardo turned round to see one of Shredder's elite guard grab Chris Bradford by the collar.

It took him entire seconds to notice the dagger protruding from Shredder's head.

At his side, Splinter protectively turned so that Karai couldn't look at the scene.

"He's… dead?" Michelangelo asked shakily, grabbing Raphael's hand in shock.

"I think so, Mikey," Raphael answered in a strangled voice.

"Let's go," Donatello urged them shakily. "Karai hasn't much time left!"

Nodding, the mutant family headed for the exit.

And woe to those who would have dared slowing them down.


	29. Twilight

Donatello looked critically at their new home. It was a former pumping station, at a safe distance of their former lair, and bigger than it. It would require a lot of repairs and improvements, but Donatello's brilliant mind was already at work to devise new layouts and equipment.

And he had got his brothers' word that they would help him build them.

The purple-clad turtle turned to his brothers.

"I think it will do the job," he said, nodding with satisfaction.

Michelangelo threw up his hands.

"Thank you sweet sewers! I thought you would never say that. How many locations have we already explored?"

"Too many," Raphael growled.

Splinter and the turtles had decided that it would be wiser to change the location of their lair. Even with Shredder dead, too many people amongst the Foot knew of it. It wasn't safe to stay there.

When they had left the Foot headquarters with the injured Karai, April and the mutants, and picked up Casey who was still outside with a clueless crowd, such concerns had gone right over their heads.

But now that Karai was out of danger and in the hands of competent doctors, they could move on and contemplate their future.

Donatello glanced at the anti-mutant weapon they had brought with them. Everyone had been surprised, to say the least, when Michelangelo had announced that he and Raphael needed to go to the bathroom before leaving the Foot headquarters, but it had made sense in the end.

It didn't look as dangerous as it was. Donatello would have to examine it, later, when he would have a lab again…

At least the Foot hadn't trashed the entire lair. The turtles had been able to retrieve almost everything they owned – Donatello had even decided he would come up with a plan to move the dojo tree later – except for what was in the living room.

Like the TV, to Michelangelo's greatest dismay. Donatello had promised it would be one of the first things to be set up in their new lair. They only needed to find one.

"I can go scavenging, then," Michelangelo said. "We can't stay without TV."

"Do it," Donatello said absent-mindedly. "I'll stay here and examine this place further."

"Raph, you're coming?" Michelangelo asked.

The sai wielder shrugged.

"Why not? I've nothing better to do. Besides…" He added, looking at Leonardo who was forlornly leaning on a railing on the second floor of their soon-to-be new home, and at Splinter who was watching him quietly from the first floor. "I think these two need some space."

Michelangelo nodded understandingly. Donatello glanced at them and bit his lip.

"On second thought, I think I'll come with you."

* * *

Leonardo was feeling the effects of everything that had happened with the Shredder. Now the he wasn't anxiously worrying about Karai – or more accurately, he wasn't worrying as anxiously as before – his mind was free to wander on other matters.

Like how close he had been to lose his sensei. His first father.

Leonardo watched his brothers depart and felt Splinter come closer to him. He stiffened. He didn't want to talk to him now. He didn't know what to say, how to express how sorry he was, how worried he had been…

It was so confusing.

"Leonardo?" The giant rat said softly. "Are you alright?"

Leonardo averted his eyes.

"Not really," he answered uneasily.

Splinter leaned on the railway next to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Leonardo repeated.

This time, there was a hint of humor in his voice.

"But I suppose I have to, right?" He added, turning to meet Splinter's gaze.

The ninja master slowly nodded.

"I believe it would be better, indeed."

He sighed.

"Let me begin. I know I hurt you, but you have to understand that I never meant to. I love you, Leonardo. Can you acknowledge that?"

Leonardo stiffened.

"I… I think I can," he whispered.

"Good."

The ninja master extended his hand towards his son, stroking his cheek softly. Leonardo swallowed hard.

"Do you believe now that you're not to blame for everything that happened?"

The turtle shrugged.

"I… I don't really know what to think. We almost lost Karai…and you… but in the end, she learned the truth. And protected you. So it's not completely messed up, right?"

Splinter smiled.

"No, it's not. As long as we're alive, there is hope, Leonardo. Hope for us to grow as a family."

Leonardo nodded hesitantly.

"Your brothers told me what happened in the Shredder's antechamber," Splinter went on, his tone lighter. "Blind fighting is a rare ability."

Leonardo shrugged, blushing slightly.

"I… I don't really think about it that way. It's just… I was playing being blind to imitate my father when I was a child. And when I began my training with you, well… it was a way to keep him close to me, you know?"

The turtle looked apprehensively at Splinter, hoping he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

But the ninja master smiled gently.

"I have no problem with that, Leonardo," he said softly. "I just wish you would have told me sooner. I can shape your training to help you in that goal."

Leonardo perked up.

"Really?"

"Yes. It would be a shame not to exploit that particular talent of yours, right?"

Splinter put his hand on Leonardo's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"Leonardo, I don't expect you to forget your past or the father who raised you. I just wish you can find a place in your heart for me."

Leonardo looked at him for a long time before smiling.

It was a warm, beautiful smile, who reached his deep blue eyes and made Splinter's heart lift with joy.

"I think I can… Father," he whispered softly.

A lump in his throat, Splinter extended both his arms towards him. When Leonardo hesitantly entered the offered hug, his father closed his eyes and held him tight against his heart.

Thanking the universe for that gift.

Leonardo returned the hug, his head buried in Splinter's robes. It felt different from hugging Murakami. But in a way – in a strange way that he didn't entirely comprehend – it felt almost as familiar.

* * *

"So you're a ninja now, hmm?" Karai said.

"A ninja-in-training, yes," Leonardo answered proudly.

He was in her hospital room, kneeling next to her bed and ready to disappear at the slightest indication of a nurse passing by.

"I should have known you would find a way. Stubborn turtle," Karai muttered.

Leonardo grinned.

"I've a long way to go, but one day, I'll kick your butt. You'll see."

"Ah! In your dreams, Leo," Karai snickered. "But I'll certainly enjoy kicking yours. And we can even call it _training_ if you want."

Leonardo stuck his tongue out at her and she grinned before leaning on her pillows, suddenly serious.

"So we really have the same father, uh? Talk about a turnaround."

"Well, you were always like a sister to me, more or less," Leonardo shrugged. "So it doesn't really change."

"More or less?" Karai straightened up in outrage, wincing because her chest still hurt, and tried to punch her friend. Her brother.

Leonardo caught her weak hand easily, grinning from ear to ear.

"Just wait until I'm better," Karai threatened.

"Sure thing, sis. I'm looking forward to it."

Karai chuckled and threw a pillow at him.

* * *

On an insignificant rooftop in an insignificant part of New York City, a trained eye could have perceived movement. A sharp hearing could have heard the sound of laughs and jokes being exchanged.

It was twilight, the perfect time for shadows to rise.

If someone could have come close enough without being noticed, he would have discovered the surprising scene of four mutant turtles and three humans sharing pizza.

* * *

"I think I hear the sweat sound of a brawl nearby," Raphael suddenly said.

Donatello frowned.

"You're right. Are innocents involved, or can we let the thugs beat each other?"

"We have ten minutes before our next pizza is delivered," Michelangelo replied, his mouth full. "Let's have a look at it!"

"Oh yeah," Casey added. "Maybe I'll finally get to see you two ladies fighting together!"

"You better admire it, Casey Jones," April replied.

Next to her, Karai winked at the teenage boy.

"Sure thing, Jones," she said. "Do you think you can take it?"

Despite her cheerful tone, someone who knew her well could tell that her mood was morose.

And Leonardo knew her well.

_It's not really surprising, considering the man who raised her was the one to kill her mother. And that man has, in turn, been murdered by one of his soldiers… Although it looks like he truly loved her, in his twisted way, it's quite… wretched._

Karai hadn't told him what she was going to do now, and Leonardo hadn't asked. She needed time, he understood that. He had, however, made sure that she knew he would always be there for her.

"Casey Jones can take a lot," Casey answered, tapping the ground with his hockey stick. "Try me."

Raphael rolled his eyes and put his best friend in a headlock.

"Just shut up, Casey."

"Are you sure it's cautious? Your stitches have only been removed today," Leonardo protested, looking at Karai.

"Stop worrying, Leo," Karai replied. "And don't forget that I'm the eldest! You listen to me, not the other way around."

Leonardo raised an eye ridge.

"Sure, Karai. Like I always do."

Karai punched him lightly in the arm.

"The only good thing about listening to you is that I know I'm not deaf," she said. "And yet."

Leonardo grinned at her, and Karai rejoiced in the familiar smile.

"You feel better, uh? Then do you want to race?" He suggested, his voice challenging. "I'm warning you, I'm even faster now."

"You bet I do."


	30. Epilogue

"Fine… Yes, I'm behaving, what do you think?"

Leonardo was sitting on the couch in April's apartment, his cell phone in hand. From the kitchen, Murakami tried not to overhear his son's conversation with Karai.

"Yes, I'll tell my dad. He's in the next room, doing his best not to listen…"

Murakami smirked.

"Ah! Well, I don't miss you too! And don't forget to call me back tomorrow. Same time."

Leonardo hung up and joined his father in the kitchen.

"Karai says hi," he told him.

Murakami put down his spoon.

"How is she doing?"

Leonardo shrugged.

"She keeps herself busy. With the aftermath of Shredder's death, she has a lot to do… I would have preferred that she left the Foot clan, but…"

Leonardo took a deep breath.

"She says it's her heritage, and her chance to set things right."

Murakami heard the sadness in his tone and put his hand on Leonardo's shoulder.

Unsurprinsingly, Karai was Oroku Saki's only heir, and she had inherited his fortune along with the leadership of the Foot clan. Everyone wasn't happy about it in Japan, and Karai had decided to share her time between New York and Tokyo.

Leonardo perked up.

"But she's coming back next week. With a girl she met at Shredder's funeral… A certain Shinigami. I'm eager to meet her. She must be something if Karai befriended her…"

"Assuredly," Murakami said wryly.

In an affectionate gesture, he stroked his son's cheek and was surprised to feel a piece of cloth under his fingers.

"It's a ninja mask," Leonardo said hesitantly, noticing his father's surprise. "My brothers wear masks too, and I wanted to… you know…"

"I understand," Murakami said softly when his son didn't end his sentence.

"Mine is blue," Leonardo supplied while Murakami played with the ties of his mask.

Then he hugged his father.

"I've got to go, training begins soon and Master Splinter hates it when we're late. I don't want to miss it, especially now that I'm beginning weapon practice!"

"Oh, really?" Murakami tried to hide his concern. "And what weapon did you choose?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll try different kinds of weapons, but I must say I rather like swords…"

Murakami rubbed his son's head.

"Swords, uh? I hope you won't cut you, then, like the first time you tried to use kitchen knives…"

"They are swords, Dad! Not kitchen knives," Leonardo protested. "And I was a child, it doesn't count!"

Although he couldn't see it, Murakami was certain he was blushing. He smiled.

"Hurry, then. I just hope you're really going to the lair and not going for a walk," he added warningly.

"Trust me, I'm never doing that again," Leonardo answered, groaning at the memory.

One evening when he had wanted some free time, he had told Splinter that he was with Murakami and Murakami that he was with Splinter. Unfortunately for him, his fathers had noticed and he had gotten into double trouble.

"See you tomorrow, Dad," Leonardo said, heading for the fire escape.

"Goodbye, Leonardo," Murakami answered softly.

Then he went back to his cooking with a sigh. Weapon training, uh? His little ninja turtle was growing up so fast.

At least he had finally found his calling, and although it was a dangerous one, Murakami trusted Splinter to help their son stay on the right path.

* * *

Stockman kept silent, hiding from the Kraang spaceship that was looking for him.

Dimension X, home world of the Kraang, was a disconcerting place with no apparent logic, but the brilliant scientist was beginning to understand it enough to trust himself to make an escape attempt.

Which was, of course, a success.

Stockman allowed a smile to play on his dry lips.

Finally. After all this time, he was going back to Earth.

And he knew exactly what he was going to do first once he had returned home…

Take revenge on the turtles whose interference had led to his forced exile.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _What happens next is up to you. I don't think I'll write a sequel to the sequel, although I can foresee that the turtles' lives will never be boring… Maybe I'll add bonus scenes later on, for the ideas and developments that didn't fit into the main story._


End file.
